Mojang has finally weighed in on NFTs in Minecraft, and the official word is: they're out.
Minecraft is the PC game but sold for all ties with a huge base of players listed to be channeled to a metaverso driven by NFT. But Mojang released a statement (opens in a new tab) pointing out that the "NFT mentality" undermines the essence of what gaming is. And therefore, it will not support them or any blockchain technology in the game.
It also highlights the inherent problem many people have with NFTs. It is that its value can disappear like a fart in the wind. This is great news at a time when publishers and developers are choosing sides. On the one hand, we have companies like Square Enix embracing NFT with their recently announced partnership (opens in a new tab) with the NFT Enjin ecosystem. And on the other, Mojang tells the NFT brothers to bow down. And NFT enthusiasts aren't too happy about it.
Why does Minecraft ban NFTs?
First, it's important to note the language at play here, which helps back up somewhere later. Mojang says that "NFT integrations with Minecraft are generally not something we will support or allow." Which means there may be some exceptions.
Not wanting to close the door on any future opportunities, he adds that he “will pay close attention to how blockchain technology evolves over time to ensure that the above principles are upheld and determine whether it will enable safer experiences or other inclusive practices and applications in games. ."
But for now, it's not on the table, for various reasons. The first is that it goes against inclusiveness, with Mojang feeling that he creates "a haves and have-nots scenario." Of course, there's also the financial side of things in the core gameplay experience. "The speculative pricing and investment mindset around NFTs distracts from the game and encourages profit-making, which we believe is incompatible with the long-term joy and success of our players."
The reliability of third-party NFTs is also reported, exposing players to being scammed:
“We are also concerned that some third-party NFTs are unreliable and end up costing players who purchase them. Some third-party NFT implementations are also completely reliant on blockchain technology and may require an asset manager that could disappear without notice. Also there have been cases where NFTs have been sold at artificially or fraudulently inflated prices."
And of course, here is Mojang pointing out the obvious problems in its breakdown of what NFTs are:
"Purchasing an NFT provides the token indicating ownership of the original digital file. However, with any digital file, that file can be copied, moved, or even deleted. NFTs and blockchain have also been associated with speculation, where prices rise rapidly and, as we have seen recently, it can fall rapidly."
So, based on all of this reasoning, Minecraft will not jump on the NFT bandwagon, stating unequivocally that “Blockchain technologies are not permitted to be integrated into our Minecraft client and server applications nor may they be used to create NFTs.” associated with any in-game content, including worlds, skins, personality items, or other modifications."
Why are NFT fans disappointed?
Minecraft knocking down the hammer in NFT is a big deal. As far as the metaverses go, it's huge with access to the malleable little minds of millions of children. And the rest of us adults too, of course. Fortnite is creating its own version of that, creating dedicated slots for more than just a battle royale game. But Minecraft has a long-time following and is prime real estate, if you will.
The reaction of NFT supporters to the news was interesting. And certainly, if you're invested in tech and have built your metaverse projects on Minecraft, you're certainly wrong on B. Adam McBride, host of The Adam McBride, commented on the news on Twitter (opens in a new tab). And he doesn't mince words with his verdict.
Microsoft just had its Blockbuster vs. Netflix. They opted to upgrade to full Blockbuster 📉And in the process groped their webbag 3.A thread🧵 pic.twitter.com/nu4Lo8STQqJuly 20, 2022
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The thread makes for interesting reading, but as he points out in another tweet (opens in a new tab), it's "a sad day for a lot of friends who thought Microsoft would be cool with this." Opportunistic cash grabs that use games with large young audiences as a starting point are questionable at best. But that's precisely the problem with NFTs: you can pull the rug out from under you at any time. And there is no recourse.
Just look at F1 Delta Time, the official Formula 1 NFT game that closed earlier this year. Some players have invested hundreds of thousands of dollars in digital assets that have become absolutely worthless.
Fellow NFTs on Twitter weighed in to label Microsoft and Mojang as obtuse and blind to the opportunities NFTs provide.
"Microsoft has almost missed every social/digital paradigm shift in the last 20 years. That doesn't surprise me at all," said one (opens in a new tab).
"Absolutely crazy they don't see the future. As mentioned, they missed out on a lot of innovations, but this is going to be their biggest L," another commented (opens in a new tab).
McBride responds to someone on this thread who speculates that Mojang's decision could be driven by "fear of decentralized aspects or fear of being replaced by new players in the game."
Someone even threw a quote from Ghandi in the chat, which is a bit of a stretch. She would go so far as to say that she's crazy, but it apparently resonated with the NFT crowd, including McBride.
We are here 😉 pic.twitter.com/VAv0pZraFiJuly 20, 2022
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Back in his original thread, McBride says that Microsoft "hasn't realized that Minecraft is more than a video game. It's a metaverse. One that could be a foundation upon which thousands, if not millions, of microworlds are built." .
I would say that is definitely not the case. Many games that existed before the term "metavers" was used fit this description. And it's kind of embarrassing when you have people like Mark Zuckerberg talking about it like it's a whole new concept. As a brother, have you ever played an MMO?
Speaking of Zuck, McBride dives in for a rather predatory take (opens in a new tab). "Think how much Meta would have paid to have this kind of gateway to Web 3. Instead, Zuck is stuck trying to get people into Horizon Worlds. Minecraft has nearly 140 million active users, mostly kids, who don't They know what the Metaverse is." or Web 3 is. Still".
He described the news as Microsoft "fighting Web 3" with this quote from Gandhi, lamenting that the company is "closing the door on billions of potential users of a Minecraft metaverse."
Metaverses can (and do exist) without the need for blockchain, NFT, or playing to win. Not all social video games need to adopt this technology. When you start looking at blockbuster games as a way to make money, especially those with younger players, and want to co-opt that space to play and win, you miss the point.
Minecraft is a metaverse and it works very well. Players are already dealing with microtransactions and loot boxes, which are subject to legal scrutiny. Sony, Nintendo and Microsoft have already positioned themselves on the latter to stop any funny business. NFTs will get the same treatment as they become more prevalent, I'm sure. But we just don't need NFTs in games.