Minecraft’s creator Mojang announced that the game won’t support NFTs or blockchain for the foreseeable future, mainly due to “NFTs creating models of scarcity and exclusion” and this going against Minecraft’s spirit. Meanwhile, Epic Games takes a different stance and states that it won’t ban NFTs or blockchain on the Epic Store.
The statement comes directly from Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney following a Twitter user’s question on whether or not Epic will follow Microsoft’s lead. Sweeney responded with the following statement on his official Twitter account:
“Developers should be free to decide how to build their games, and you are free to decide whether to play them. I believe stores and operating system makers shouldn’t interfere by forcing their views onto others. We definitely won’t.”
Epic Store will have NFT-powered games
This shouldn’t come as a surprise though, since Epic Games Store already has a number of NFT-based video games. Gala Games’ Web3 battle royale game Grit is already available on the store, in fact, it was the first NFT game made available on Epic’s platform. Another NFT-focused game Blankos Block Party also has a store page on the medium.
Meanwhile, Epic Games’ rival Valve banned NFTs and blockchain on Steam back in October 2021, and the industry giant’s mind seems to be set in stone in regards to Web3 games.
Having said all that, despite the rocky ride NFTs are being embraced by some of the AAA studios and publishers. Square Enix announced a new partnership with blockchain gaming company Enjin to release NFT versions of Final Fantasy action figures, which are set to launch for the game’s 25th anniversary next year.
The Japanese publisher sold three of its studios to Embracer Group about two months ago to focus on Web3, AI, and the cloud.
