Quick take:
- Minecraft developers have confronted video game developers for becoming too attached to NFTs and crypto.
- The creators of the popular sandbox game think NFTs are a form of exploitation of gamers’ trust.
- They pointed to a research report published earlier this year, whose findings showed that approximately 70% of gamers are against NFTs and crypto.
As the NFT and in-game crypto craze continue to engulf the gaming industry, not everyone is on board with the idea. In fact, according to a survey conducted earlier this year, 70% of the gaming community stood strongly against bringing NFTs and in-game crypto to video games.
And now, more video game developers are beginning to understand the position of players that want to keep the fan by all means possible.
Minecraft is one of the most popular sandbox games among both young and adult video gamers. Its developers have launched a campaign challenging leading video game developers for getting too attached to non-fungible tokens (NFTs) and in-game crypto.
The developers are now part of a growing divide between video game companies and their staff. While the companies seem too eager to add NFTs to their gaming titles, those tasked with making them fun and enjoyable prefer to keep gaming away from NFTs.
They think that non-fungible tokens and any form of crypto introduced to traditional video games are exploiting gamers’ trust. Some of the world’s most popular gaming studios including Square Enix, Konami, and Sega have all indicated their intention to roll out NFTs and in-game crypto.
In February, Japan-based Square Enix inked a deal with leading blockchain and GameFi investment company Animoca Brands to bring “Dungeon Siege” to The Sandbox’s metaverse, a 3D virtual space where games can wear 3D avatars and interact with each other in immersive worlds.
Ubisoft, which continues to back several blockchain projects was recently forced to pull the plug on its plans to introduce NFTs and in-game items to its popular game “Tom Clancy’s Ghost Recon”.
This series of events have culminated in artists and staff from Minecraft maker Mojang Studios joining forces to draw up a pledge on digital ownership. According to Minecraft developers, studios should try to fully understand the “downsides of NFTs and cryptocurrencies before implementing them in games.”
“Signatories must promise not to build games that foster artificial scarcity and speculation, disproportionately benefit early adopters or wealthier players, or use energy-intensive and volatile cryptocurrencies,” reads an NFT guide published by Minecraft game developers, cited by Bloomberg.
Cory Scheviak, a Minecraft game developer and Mariana Salimena, a Minecraft concept artist wrote said that NFTs change the meaning of what a game is, which developers think is a worrying trajectory.
“People can make all of the side arguments they want about giving people jobs and the things they say are positives. But in the end, it’s never really been about players. It’s never really been about helping people. It’s always been about making as much money as possible,” they wrote.
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