Steam Bans Crypto and NFTs in Games, While Epic Endorses Them
Valve doesn't want games that allow cryptocurrency or NFT exchanges on Steam, but Tim Sweeney would love to see them on Epic Games Store.
The US may become the new promised land for crypto miners, but they've also gained a new adversary. Valve apparently intends to remove all games that use blockchains, which allow for exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs, from Steam.
The news comes from the creators of Age of Rust (a first-person action/adventure puzzle game) from SpacePirate Games, who received notification of the company's plans (via Twitter). Yesterday, the owner of Steam added information on this subject to the Steamworks documentation. Interestingly, there is still no mention of cryptocurrencies and NFTs in the "Joining the Steamworks distribution program" section.
For now, there has been no official announcement from the company referring to this issue, but SpacePirate Games has reported that it is allegedly about the value of NFTs and cryptocurrencies in the real world. That doesn't sound very convincing, however, when trading of items - virtual items, perhaps, but valued in real (and not small) money - is still thriving on Steam. Even without trading on independent websites, the Community Marketplace enables you to exchange your dollars for digital goodies. Perhaps more significant was Valve's past experience with cryptocurrencies.
Whatever the real reasons behind this decision, the creators of Age of Rust and other titles using blockchain will have to find a new home for their games. They won'thave to look far, because Tim Sweeney announced that Epic Games Store, which he owns, will welcome such titles with open arms. Although Epic Games "doesn't use cryptocurrencies" in its games, the company is open to any innovations (via Twitter) - despite the fact that two weeks earlier Sweeney was distrustful of NFTs.
It's also unclear how many titles will have to leave Valve's platform due to the new rules. After typing "crypto" and "NFT" in Steam's search engine you can find dozens of games, but not all of them actually use blockchain or have even a loose connection with it (for example Destroy All Humans!).
