Mojang doesn’t want to profit from the technology, so it’s banning it altogether in a game that has enjoyed a decade of unbroken popularity.

What can now be called a grey area is that certain groups have created private Minecraft worlds where you can buy NFTs of specific items (territory, objects, etc…). This attempt has been in Mojang’s games for quite some time, but they’ve had enough of it and announced that they will no longer tolerate it. Here’s their reasoning:

“Some companies have recently launched NFT implementations associated with Minecraft world files and skin packs. Other examples of how NFTs and blockchain could be utilized with Minecraft include creating Minecraft collectable NFTs, allowing players to earn NFTs through activities performed on a server, or earning Minecraft NFT rewards for activities outside the game.

These uses of NFTs and other blockchain technologies create digital ownership based on scarcity and exclusion, which does not align with Minecraft’s values of creative inclusion and playing together. NFTs are not inclusive of all of 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 our players’ long-term joy and success.

We are concerned that some third-party NFTs may not be reliable and may end up costing players who buy them. Some third-party NFT implementations are also entirely dependent on blockchain technology and may require an asset manager who might disappear without notice. There have also been instances where NFTs were sold artificially or fraudulently inflated prices. We recognize that creation inside our game has intrinsic value, and we strive to provide a marketplace where those values can be identified.

As such, 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, including worlds, skins, persona items, or other mods. We will also be paying close attention to how blockchain technology evolves to ensure that the above 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,” Mojang wrote.

In response, NFT Worlds, one of the largest blockchain companies related to Minecraft, wrote a statement, calling Mojang’s decision a step backwards in innovation and if they have to step away from Mojang’s game, they will create their clone where they can sell their NFTs. Good luck with that…

Source: WCCFTech