Minecraft gives NFTs the mineshaft
An unique statement from Microsoft that blockchain and NFT users can truly own.
It seems like there is a kind of block that doesn’t have a home in Minecraft after all - Blockchain. In an official post made to the Minecraft website titled ‘Minecraft and NFTs’ Mojang studios staff waste no time to state “ integrations of NFTs with Minecraft are generally not something we will support or allow”.
The post then goes on to explain what NFTs are to those reading, including a brief breakdown on their association with speculation and fluctuating prices. The post states that Minecraft is a game and platform that provides all user with the same content, and states that from their perspective: “NFTs, however, can create models of scarcity and exclusion that conflict with our Guidelines and the spirit of Minecraft.”
As such, NFT technology is officially not permitted within Minecraft in any capacity. This means cosmetics, Minecraft worlds or creations, other mods within the game that make use of the blockchain are not allowed. Full stop.
The post addresses that some companies have created NFT implementations associated with Minecraft worlds. It seems like these companies have been left holding the bag as the post strongly states that: “blockchain technologies are not permitted to be integrated inside our Minecraft client and server applications nor may they be utilized to create NFTs associated with any in-game content, including worlds, skins, persona items, or other mods.”
One such third party blockchain platform that made use of Minecraft up until now was NFT Worlds - a metaverse platform described on its official website as “fully decentralised, fully customizable, community driven, play to earn gaming platform where world owners can create their own limitless metaverse games or experiences for players or exclusive communities within their worlds”.
In an official statement to their Discord server (and shared on their official Twitter) one of the devs behind the project states: “This out of nowhere announcement by Microsoft/Minecraft to outright ban NFTs & Blockchain within Minecraft feels like a step backwards in innovation and may even have painful downstream effects for them in the long run - we’ll see how that plays out.” The post goes onto to establish their plan to reach out to the Microsoft team and Minecraft studio to try and reach an alternative outcome, as well as listing out several directions they could go if they do end up removed from the platform.
Online, the reaction initially appears to be quite positive in contrast to projects like NFT Worlds. One celebratory tweet (embedded below) has soared to over 56,000 likes with many ecstatic at the newfound fate of Blockchain projects on the survival title.
What are your thoughts on this stance taken by Microsoft? Let us know below! For more Minecraft articles, check out our piece on the Lightyear DLC added to the game earlier this year.