Satya Nadela led Microsoft, has made a shocking announcement to the Blockchain developer community that its most famous game Minecraft will not support non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
NFT stands for Non-Fungible token, and it is a non-editable digital token that is part of a blockchain and often purchased with cryptocurrencies like Bitcoin and Ethereum. NFTs comprise various kinds of digital assets such as MPEG, JPEG, or GIF.
“NFTs are not inclusive of all our community and create a scenario of the haves and the have-nots,” Minecraft said in a statement late on Wednesday.
“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,” the company added.
To ensure that Minecraft players have a safe, secure, and inclusive experience, Blockchain technologies will not be allowed to interfere with Minecraft’s client and server applications.
“Nor may Minecraft in-game content such as worlds, skins, persona items, or other mods, be utilised by Blockchain technology to create a scarce digital asset,” the company announced.
The company further said that NFTs and other Blockchain technologies create digital ownership based on scarcity and exclusion, which does not align with its values of creative inclusion and playing together.
“We are also 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,” Minecraft warned.
Recently many instances have occurred where NFTs were sold at artificially or fraudulently inflated prices.
“We have no plans of implementing blockchain technology into Minecraft right now,” it added.