This year, NFTs and blockchain technology was supposed to be the next big thing in the video game industry. However, whenever a studio or publisher would announce NFTs and blockchain technology was getting implemented in a game, there would be backlash from the community. the devs behind S.T.A.L.K.E.R. 2 and Worms canceled their plans shortly after they revealed them. Now, following members of the community asking for clarification and transparency on NFTs and blockchain with Minecraft, Mojang has revealed its stance and upcoming guidelines for the game.

TL;DR:
“To ensure that Minecraft players have a safe and inclusive experience, 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…”

— Minecraft (@Minecraft) July 20, 2022

The Minecraft team said that the reasoning for their decision is to “ensure that Minecraft remains a community where everyone has access to the same content. NFTs, however, can create models of scarcity and exclusion that conflict with our Guidelines and the spirit of Minecraft.” 

According to the team, An NFT is a unique, non-editable, digital token that is part of a blockchain and often purchased with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin. An NFT can be associated with any form of digital asset such as an MPEG or a GIF, but the most common use case today is digital art like JPEGs. The purchase of an NFT provides the token that states the 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 rapidly and as we have recently seen, may fall rapidly.

The Minecraft team said “Each of these uses of NFTs and other blockchain technologies creates digital ownership based on scarcity and exclusion, which does not align with Minecraft values of creative inclusion and playing together. NFTs are not inclusive of all our community 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 profiteering, which we think is inconsistent with the long-term joy and success of our players.”

“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,” The Minecraft team said. The team will also be paying attention to how blockchain technology evolves over time so that the Minecraft principles are withheld and determine whether it will allow for more secure experiences or other practical and inclusive applications in gaming.

” However, we have no plans of implementing blockchain technology into Minecraft right now,” The Minecraft team said.