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The well-known voxel sandbox game Minecraft announced today that it will not allow the usage of NFTs.
NFT Integration Is Rejected in Minecraft
NFT integrations with Minecraft are typically not something we will support or permit, according to Minecraft.
Additionally, it stated that in-game material and modifications cannot be used to “produce a scarce digital asset” and that blockchain technologies are not allowed on its client and server apps.
Despite stating that all players should have an equal experience, Minecraft indicated that server owners might charge for access to their servers. NFTs are in opposition to this objective because they “may establish patterns of scarcity and exclusion,” the report claimed.
The club also cautioned against the speculative nature of NFT prices, saying that players who purchase NFTs “may wind up paying a premium.” It also included warnings about fraud and price hikes.
According to Minecraft, a number of outside organizations have already started issuing non-fungible tokens (NFTs) connected to the game. These NFTs include those given out for using the game’s servers and those given out for accomplishing activities off the game.
The team stated that these initiatives “do not correspond with [our] principles of creative inclusiveness and playing together,” despite the fact that it may not be possible to monitor how NFTs are used off-platform.
Environmental worries already raised
In today’s announcement, Minecraft made no mention of any worries over the effects of NFTs on the environment.
But in April, Climate Replay—a organization made up primarily of Minecraft programmers—released a petition that solved the problem. NFTs were described as “deliberately inefficient” there by Climate Replay, having a “concrete, considerable environmental effect” and a “unnecessary waste of physical resources.”
The majority of NFTs are traded on Ethereum, which processes transactions using 78 TWh of energy annually. Even while some businesses have opted to employ second-layer networks with lower energy requirements, many people are still concerned about the problem.
As a result, practically every argument against NFTs is covered by Minecraft, from accessibility to the environment.
But there is still some hope for NFT supporters. Surprisingly, Microsoft, the company that owns Minecraft, teamed up with Enjin last year on a project involving NFTs that were integrated into the game. These initiatives may open the door for future policy refinements.
