Rockstar has banned the use of cryptocurrencies and NFTs – non-fungible tokens stored in a blockchain – in the game's role-play servers.
The gaming giant said “commercial exploitation”, including the sale of loot boxes and other currencies, is not allowed, nor is making money from “corporate sponsorships or in-game integrations.”
An update on the developer's support page reads: “Rockstar Games has always believed in reasonable fan creativity and wants creators to showcase their passion for our games. Third-party “Roleplay” servers are an extension of the rich array of community-created experiences within ‘Grand Theft Auto’ that we hope will continue to thrive in a safe and friendly way for many years to come.“
Earlier this year, Mojang, the company behind hit sandbox building game Minecraft, announced their stance on NFTs.
They released a short blog post titled “Minecraft and NFTs” outlining their stance on the budding technology, which is often used for less-than-legitimate purposes.
The post says that the nature of NFT, that someone can buy something permanently, can create models of “scarcity and exclusion” conflicts with the spirit of Minecraft.
The post explains that to maintain a safe and inclusive experience for all Minecraft players, “blockchain technologies are not permitted to be integrated inside our client and server applications.”
The manufactured scarcity and exclusion created by NFTs and other blockchain technologies “does not align” with Minecraft values of “creative inclusion and playing together”.
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