- Minecraft creator Mojang has said that it will not allow NFTs within the game
- The company cited concerns over inclusivity and rug pulls among other things
- NFTs, when properly implemented, would be ideal for platforms like Minecraft
Mojang, the company behind the massively popular Minecraft franchise, has said that it won’t allow NFTs within the game, despite it seeming a perfect outlet for the new asset class. However, the decision to block NFTs doesn’t come from a place of technological concern but instead reflects more ideological worries, with Mojang worried that NFTs promote scarcity rather than inclusivity and they are too focused on value.
NFTs Can “Create Models of Scarcity and Exclusion”
Mojang published an article on the Minecraft website yesterday tackling the subject of NFTs, saying that “all players should have access to the same functionality” within its game and that it had rules in place to ensure that “Minecraft remains a community where everyone has access to the same content.”
To this end, it said that NFTs can “create models of scarcity and exclusion that conflict with our Guidelines and the spirit of Minecraft” and that “NFTs are not inclusive of all our community and create a scenario of the haves and the have-nots.”
Mojang is also concerned that 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.”
Mojang Fears Rug Pulls
The company is also concerned that some NFTs designed by third parties “may not be reliable and may end up costing players who buy them”, citing a potential rug pull as a way in which a player’s purchase can mean that it is essentially erased.
Finally, Mojang warns that valuations can rocket artificially, and can even be caught up in fraudulent activity. This, it says, goes against its desire to provide a marketplace where intrinsic value from creation is recognised and artificial profiteering is not countenanced.
All in all, it’s pretty clear that it is going to have to take something special for NFT lovers to use their wares within Minecraft.
