The Metaverse company implements NFTs in its Minecraft and GTA 5 servers
Despite Minecraft creator Mojang Studios opposing the integration of non-fungible tokens (NFTs), a Metaverse-focused firm managed to introduce NFTs into several games, including its own Minecraft server.
In an interview with Cointelegraph, Oscar Franklin Tan, the CFO of blockchain gaming firm Enjin, and MyMetaverse CEO Simon Kertonegoro shared how they managed to connect the dots and implement NFTs in Minecraft without violating the terms and conditions.
According to Kertonegoro, Minecraft’s rules for NFTs have been about protecting players from negative experiences, and many servers have broken those rules. However, the manager highlighted that within their own servers, they are able to introduce NFTs without breaking the game’s guidelines. They do this by not having any pay-to-win NFTs and making their best NFTs free to earn. He explained that:
“We wanted to show Mojang that it could be done in a way that benefited them and benefited their player base and benefited the gaming industry as a whole. Obviously you don’t know, it’s not the fastest way to get people to jump on your server. […] But we knew it was the right way to do it.”
Tan also weighed in on the topic, noting that Enjin supports MyMetaverse’s efforts to enter into conversation with Mojang studios, as the company’s NFT-integrated Minecraft server has been around for four years even before Minecraft banned NFTs.
The executive also pointed out that even China, a country that is outright against cryptocurrencies, has expressed its interest in supporting NFTs. “If it works for the Chinese government, why not Minecraft,” he said.
Related: Minecraft bans “hypocritical” and NFTs are inclusive – Animocas Yat Siu
Apart from Minecraft, the NFTs created by MyMetaverse also have an interoperability aspect and can be used in other games such as in the company’s Grand Theft Auto 5 (GTAV) server and its own massively multiplayer online (MMO) game, Infinity Realm. Kertonegoro explained that:
“These different games, read the user’s wallet, see that they own NFT and give them different advantages in the games. […] In Minecraft, this NFT is a sword. In GTA the NFT is a car and in Infinity Realms the NFT is a house.”
In addition to this, Tan also expressed his firm belief that having NFTs that work in various games is an important cornerstone for the development of the Metaverse. He said that:
“Interoperability creates a larger community. It forms the basis of what we now call Metaverse, something we have been trying to build since 2018.”
As the NFTs run on Efinity, a Polkadot parachain developed by Enjin, Kertonegoro also highlighted that their NFTs will have a good effect on Polkadot’s wider ecosystem. “The ecosystem can only grow through users innovating. And that’s what we’re doing, really,” he said.
