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Valve updated its rules and guidelines for games listed on Steam, effectively banning any games utilizing NFTs and blockchain technology from its platform. Some companies have already been notified that Valve is removing their games. [Thanks, NME!]
Valve listed the change on its official onboarding document for partners and Steamworks users. In the Rules and Guidelines section of the document, Valve explicitly forbids “applications built on blockchain technology that issue or allow exchange or cryptocurrencies or NFTs.” Valve has yet to issue an official statement on the matter.
Valve is reportedly already notifying some dev teams that it is removing games from the platform. Valve’s main reasoning — at least according to the official Age of Rust Twitter account — is that it does not allow items that can have real-world value on their platform.
Hours after the report, Epic Games CEO Tim Sweeney stated that the Epic Games Store would welcome games using blockchain technology. Sweeney did add the caveat that said games must follow relevant laws and disclose terms. Less than a month ago, however, Sweeney also tweeted that Epic Games would not participate in NFTs.
Epic Games Store will welcome games that make use of blockchain tech provided they follow the relevant laws, disclose their terms, and are age-rated by an appropriate group. Though Epic's not using crypto in our games, we welcome innovation in the areas of technology and finance. https://t.co/6W7hb8zJBw
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) October 15, 2021
The Steam NFT ban comes at a time when an increasing number of high-profile video game companies are looking into NFTs. Some notable examples include SEGA and Square Enix. Both companies plan to sell NFTs of some of their popular IPs. Intellivision also recently announced that its Amico game cards would utilize NFTs. These will prove digital ownership of games.
