Mojang bans all Blockchain technology (and NFTs) from Minecraft
While the whole NFT thing seems to be merciful on the declines, there are still companies out there—like Square Enix— trying to justify partnering with technology that exists solely as a huge scam. Mojang is clearly not one of them.
In a long statement published it Minecraft’s the websitethe team goes into detail, explaining both why they have not embraced the technology to date and why they have taken the steps to ban any implementation of anything blockchain-related in Minecraft.
While we include a brief caveat saying, hey, if blockchain can ever prove to be anything other than a big pain, then maybe we’ll look into it, the main body of the post attacks the technology for their promotion of “digital ownership based on scarcity and exclusion , which does not match Minecraft values of creative inclusion and playing together’.
It also describes why blockchain technology and NFTs have been banned throughout the game, saying: “To ensure that Minecraft players have a safe and inclusive experience, blockchain technologies are not allowed to be integrated into our client and server applications, and Minecraft can instead non-in-game content such as worlds, skins, persona elements or other mods are used by blockchain technology to create a scarce digital resource.”
You can read the full policy below (their emphasis, not mine).
OUR NFTS AND MINECRAFT POLICY
In our guidelines for using Minecraft, we outline how a server owner can charge for access, and that all players must have access to the same functionality. We have these rules to ensure that Minecraft remains a community where everyone has access to the same content. However, NFTs may create models of scarcity and exclusion that conflict with our policies and the spirit of Minecraft.
To ensure that Minecraft players have a safe and inclusive experience, blockchain technologies are not allowed to be integrated into our client and server applications, and Minecraft in-game content such as worlds, skins, persona elements or other mods cannot be used by blockchain technology to create a scarce digital resource. Our reasons follow.
Some companies have recently released NFT implementations that are associated with Minecraft world files and skin packs. Other examples of how NFTs and blockchain can be used with Minecraft include creating Minecraft collectible NFTs, allowing players to earn NFTs through activities performed on a server, or earning Minecraft NFT rewards for activities outside of the game.
Each of these uses of NFTs and other blockchain technologies creates digital ownership based on scarcity and exclusion, which is inconsistent with the Minecraft values of creative inclusion and playing together. NFTs do not include our entire society and create a scenario of the haves and the have nots. The speculative pricing and investment mentality around NFTs takes the focus away from playing the game and encourages profit, which we believe is inconsistent with the long-term happiness and success of our players.
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 can disappear without notice. There have also been cases where NFTs were sold at artificially or fraudulently inflated prices. We recognize that creation in our game has an intrinsic value, and we strive to provide a marketplace where those values can be recognized.
As such, to ensure that Minecraft players have a safe and inclusive experience, blockchain technologies are not permitted to be integrated into our Minecraft client and server applications, nor can they be used to create NFTs associated with in-game content, including worlds, skins, persona items, or other mods. We will also closely monitor how blockchain technology evolves over time to ensure that the above principles are upheld and determine whether it will allow for more secure experiences or other practical and inclusive applications in games. However, we have no plans to implement blockchain technology in Minecraft right now.
We hope to have more to share with you soon. In the meantime, if you are interested in reading about our policies, you can find them here here. Watch!
