NFTs and blockchain are not coming to Minecraft

by Arthur · July 21, 2022

NFTs and blockchain are still controversial to this day and their combination does not have a good reputation. And while other studios, companies and individuals in the gaming community patronize them, some are put off by their nature and obvious dangers. One of them is Mojang Studios which recently released a statement clarifying its position regarding the possible entry of NFTs and blockchain into the famous game Minecraft.

“While we are in the process of updating our Minecraft Usage Guidelines to provide more precise guidance on new technologies, we wanted to take this opportunity to share our view that integrations of NFTs with Minecraft in general are not something we would support or allow,” the studio directly emphasizes in its statement.

Mojang Studios provides a brief background on NFTs and blockchain in the statement, specifically addressing speculation about them, “where prices are driven up quickly and as we’ve seen recently, can drop quickly.”

Also, according to the zealots, NFTs promote scarcity and exclusion, which unfortunately contradicts Minecraft values.

“… 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 Minecraft spirit.

“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…

“…NFTs do not include our entire society and create a scenario of haves and 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.”

Mojang Studios further addresses the dangers of protecting the technology, especially third-party NFTs, where opportunities for fraud can arise, such as artificially selling NFTs and having them at ridiculously high prices. It notes that asset managers needed in some third-party NFT implementations that rely on the blockchain may disappear without notice. With this, the studio emphasizes that it prioritizes a “safe and inclusive experience” in the world of Minecraft, and says that it has no plans to inject the blockchain technology into the game “right now.”