Although opinions are widely divided, non-fungible tokens (NFTs) are still one of the hottest topics a year after the 2021 NFT boom.
It has rapidly evolved from a collection of tokens to a utilitarian asset like cryptocurrency, and video games like Axie Infinity have benefited significantly from its innovations.
However, the play-to-earn system has received some criticism over the past year, and Epic Games has taken a stand.
Mojang Studios
Despite their popularity, NFTs have been criticized for a variety of reasons.
Mojang Studios, the developers of Minecraft, has announced that they will exclude the integration of NFT and blockchain technology on their platform.
“Like any digital file, NFTs can be copied, moved, or even deleted,” Mojang wrote in a statement.
“Additionally, NFTs and blockchains have also been associated with price speculation. 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.”
The company also criticized NFT pricing.
Read also: Final Fantasy VII to Enter the NFT Space Through the Efforts of Square Enix and Enjin
After the ban
The ban forced a project, NFT Worlds, to climb a mountain because it was built on one of Minecraft’s open-source servers.
Following the Mojang Studios announcement, the NFT Worlds team said they are considering ways to move forward. The team said they are communicating with Minecraft to see if they can meet up between the two.
Alternatively, a switch to a “Minecraft-like game engine” or the GameFi platform is also considered a possible option.
Epic games
Epic Games is a well-known game developer and distributor that often offers free game gems.
People wondered if Epic would follow suit when it was revealed that Minecraft wouldn’t support NFTs.
However, founder Tim Sweeney dismissed all concerns, saying it was wrong to “interfere” with how developers make their games.
The revelation came in a series of tweets after a user retweeted an article.
Read also: NFT Welcomes Hyundai’s Second NFT Collection: the IONIQ 6 NFT Collection
Sweeney on Twitter
Twitter user Joe (@DicklessRichard) tweeted Epic Games, asking the store to follow Mojang Studio’s lead.
“It’d be really nice to see the same opinion from the Epic Games store,” they wrote.
“Please get rid of every last one of those games on the store.”
Tim Sweeney responded by saying:
“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 view onto others,” he added.
“We certainly won’t.”
Statement by Tim Sweeney
Along with the Twitter threat, Sweeney was asked how the standard would be enforced against a company trying to post hateful content.
However, Sweeney insisted that the company has editorial policies, noting that NFTs do not currently conflict with them.
“A store could choose to make no such judgments and host anything that’s legal, or choose to draw the line at mainstream acceptable norms as we do, or accept only games that conform to the owner’s personal beliefs,” Sweeney said, explaining why NFTs aren’t banned outright.
References:
Epic won’t ban NFT games in response to Minecraft’s stance, Tim Sweeney says
