A group of NFT developers and advocacy groups have teamed up to ask Valve to reverse its ban on blockchain games on Steam.
- READ MORE: With New World, Amazon got into games properly – and Christoph Hartmann says it’s here to stay
In an open letter, the 29 NFT developers and technology advocacy groups ask Valve “to take a chance on this rapidly growing technology” pleading to the company’s “pioneering vision”.
Earlier this month, Steam updated its rules and guidelines to ban games built on blockchain technology. In the updated rules, it explained that it would now prohibit applications that “issue or allow exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs”. Since then, Valve has not publicly explained why it took the step. However, a tweet from Age of Rust developer, SpacePirate, explained that it was because Valve didn’t want “items that can have real-world value” on the service.
In the open letter from NFT developers and including digital rights-focused nonprofit, Fight for the Future, the group explain how Valve was one of the companies that pioneered the sale and trading of digital items such as Counter-Strike gun skins and Steam trading cards.
It explains that, “considered as pioneers for changing how gamers sell and trade digital game items over a decade ago, Valve likely understands the impact that a more concrete medium would facilitate.”
Continuing, the letter notes, “in the spirit of that pioneering vision, we ask that you take a chance on this rapidly growing technology: remember your roots, let the industry prove itself as a positive contributor to the overall gaming ecosystem, and reverse your decision to prohibit an entire category of software from the Steam platform”
Whether the letter will sway Valve is uncertain (if unlikely) right now. Elsewhere, Epic Games has already stated that it’s “open to games that support cryptocurrency of blockchain-based assets”, giving NFT developers an opportunity there.
In other gaming news, Final Fantasy 14 has banned paid dungeon carries where players can pay to be helped through difficult content.
The post NFT developers ask Valve to reverse ban on blockchain games appeared first on NME.
