Mojang has finally weighed in on NFTs in Minecraft, and the official word is: they’re out.
Minecraft is the best-selling PC game of all time with a huge player base ripe to be ushered into an NFT-powered metaverse. But Mojang has released a statement (opens in a new tab) points out that the “NFT mentality” boils down to the essence of what gaming is all about. And as a result, it won’t support them or any in-game blockchain technologies.
It also highlights the inherent problem many people have with NFTs. Which is that their value can vanish like a fart in the wind. This is big news at a time when publishers and developers are choosing sides. On the one hand, we have companies like Square Enix embracing NFTs with their recently announced partnership (opens in a new tab) with the NFT ecosystem Enjin. And on the other, Mojang is asking NFT bros to get bent. And the NFT lovers are not too happy about it.
Why does Minecraft ban NFTs?
First, it’s important to note the language at play here, which leaves room for backtracking somewhere down the line. Mojang says that “integrations of NFTs with Minecraft generally are not something we will support or allow.” Suggests there may be some exceptions.
Not wanting to close the door on future possibilities, it adds that it will “pay close attention to how blockchain technology evolves over time to ensure that the above principles are retained and determine whether it will allow for more secure experiences or other practical and inclusive applications in game.”
But for now it is not on the table, for several reasons. The first is that it flies in the face of inclusiveness, with Mojang feeling that it creates “a scenario of the haves and the have-nots.” Of course, there’s also the financial side of things that rubs off on the entire core gaming experience. “The speculative pricing and investment mentality surrounding NFTs takes the focus away from playing the game and encourages profit-making, which we believe is inconsistent with the long-term enjoyment and success of our players.”
The reliability of third-party NFTs has also been flagged, opening the door for players to be scammed:
“We are also concerned that some third-party NFTs may not be reliable and may end up costing players who purchase them. Some third-party NFT implementations also rely entirely on blockchain technology and may require an asset manager that may disappear without notice. There have also been cases where NFTs were sold at artificially or fraudulently inflated prices.”
And of course, here’s Mojang pointing out the obvious problems in its breakdown of what NFTs are all about:
“Purchasing an NFT provides the token denoting ownership of the original digital file. Yet, with any digital file, that file can be copied, moved, or even deleted. NFTs and blockchain have also been associated with speculation, where prices are driven up quickly and as we’ve seen recently, they can fall quickly.”
So based on all this reasoning, Minecraft won’t be jumping on the NFT bandwagon, stating in no way that “blockchain technologies are not allowed to be integrated into our Minecraft client and server applications, nor can they be used to create NFTs associated with all in-game content, including worlds, skins, persona items, or other mods.”
Why are NFT supporters disappointed?
Minecraft bringing the hammer down on NFTs is kind of a big deal. As metaverses go, it’s a massive one with access to the malleable little minds of millions of children. And the rest of us adults too, of course. Fortnite is busy creating its own version of that, creating rooms dedicated to more than just battle royale games. But Minecraft has a well-established audience, and is, so to speak, prime real estate.
The reaction from NFT supporters to the new thing has been interesting. And certainly, if you’re invested in the technology and have built your metaverse projects in Minecraft, you’re sure to be fudged in B. Adam McBride, host of The Adam McBride Show, weighed in on the news Twitter (opens in a new tab). And he doesn’t beat around the bush with his judgment.
Microsoft just had its Blockbuster vs Netflix moment. They chose to go full Blockbuster 📉And in the process fumbled their Web 3 bag. A thread🧵 pic.twitter.com/nu4Lo8STQq20 July 2022
The thread makes for interesting reading, but as he points out in another tweet (opens in a new tab), it’s a “sad day for a lot of friends who thought Microsoft would be cool with it.” Opportunistic cash using games with a large, young audience as a starting point is questionable at the best of times. But this is exactly the problem with NFTs – you can have the rug pulled out from under you at a moment’s notice. And there is no way out.
Just look at F1 Delta Time, the official Formula 1 NFT game that ended earlier this year. Some players sunk hundreds of thousands of dollars in digital assets that were rendered completely worthless.
Other NFT brethren on Twitter chimed in to label Microsoft and Mojang as obtuse and blind to the possibilities that NFTs present.
“Microsoft has almost missed every social/digital paradigm shift of the last 20 years. Not surprised by this in the least.” so one (opens in a new tab).
“It’s absolutely crazy that they don’t see the future. As mentioned, they have missed out on many innovations, but this will be their biggest L,” they commented another (opens in a new tab).
McBride is responding to someone in the thread speculating that Mojang’s decision may be motivated by “fear of the decentralized aspects or fear of being replaced by new players in the game.”
Some have even thrown a Ghandi quote into the chat, which is a bit over the top. I’d go so far as to say it’s bullshit, but it apparently resonated with the NFT crowd, including McBride.
We are here 😉 pic.twitter.com/VAv0pZraFi20 July 2022
Back in his original thread, McBride says that Microsoft has “failed to realize that Minecraft is more than a video game. It’s a metaverse. One that could be a foundation upon which thousands or even millions of microworlds are built.”
I would argue that this is absolutely not the case. Many games that have existed before the term ‘metaverse’ started being thrown around fit that description. And it’s kind of cringey when you have people like Mark Zuckerberg talking about it like it’s a brand new concept. Like bro, have you ever played an MMO?
Speaking of Zuck, McBride dives into a rock predation (opens in a new tab). “Think how much Meta would have paid to have such a door into Web 3. Instead, Zuck is stuck trying to get people into Horizon Worlds. Minecraft has nearly 140 million active users, mostly kids, who don’t know what metaverse or Web 3 is. Still.”
He framed this news as Microsoft “fighting Web 3” along with that Ghandi quote, and lamented that the company is “closing the door on potentially billions of users of a Minecraft metaverse.”
Metaverses can (and do) exist without the need for the blockchain, NFTs or play-to-earn. Not all video games with a social aspect need to adopt the technology. When you start seeing successful games as a medium to make money, especially those with younger players, and want to use that space for play-to-earn games, you’re missing the point somewhat.
Minecraft is a metaverse and it works just fine. Players are already struggling with microtransactions and loot boxes, which are subject to legal scrutiny. Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft have already taken a stand on the latter to stop any fun business. NFTs will be subject to the same treatment as they become more widespread, I’m sure. But we simply don’t need NFTs in games.
