Valve plans to remove all games with cryptocurrency and NFTs from their Steam store. Some titles have already disappeared; however, the second largest MMORPG is still there.
This has happened on Steam: The gaming platform Steam recently changed its rules for publishing games. The change affects all games that are based on blockchain technology and support NFTs (Non-Fungible Tokens, via Wikipedia) and cryptocurrencies.
With blockchain technology and NFTs, content can be created that cannot be manipulated or forged. In MMORPGs, users can store unlocked abilities or items using blockchain.
The new rule was added as the 13th point in the list of games “that should not be published on Steam.” Games offering this will now be removed from the platform.
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Among the games being removed is the indie adventure Age of Rust, which was supposed to be released on Steam in 2022. The developers communicated the ban to their community in several tweets and expressed their disappointment about Valve’s decision.
In the tweets, the developers stated that they had always been transparent in their communications regarding NFTs with Valve. They are now looking for a new platform for their game because they believe blockchain games are the future of
The second largest MMORPG is on Steam, but no one knows for how much longer
This MMORPG is still in the store: It currently seems that not all games with cryptocurrencies and NFTs have been removed from the store. Among the remaining games is, for example, the large MMORPG MIR4, which until recently was the MMORPG with the most players on Steam (as of October 16, 2021, at 12 PM).
Although it was dethroned by New World, it still occupies second place with an average of 34,415 players over the last 30 days ahead of Final Fantasy XIV. The problem with MIR4 is, however, that the game currently has just over 50% positive reviews (via Steam).
In the reviews, players complain about monotonous gameplay, bots, and hackers as well as strong monetization through the in-game shop. However, earning money through cryptocurrency is praised, which may also be the main reason for the surprisingly high player numbers despite poor reviews.
MIR4 is still on Steam. The red notice that the game has been removed from the store, like in the case of Age of Rust, is not present here. However, it is doubtful how long this will continue under the new Steam regulations.
Epic welcomes the games
This is what Tim Sweeney says: After the news about the banning of games with cryptocurrencies and NFTs on Steam became known, the CEO of Epic Games commented on the issue. In a tweet, he wrote that “Games that use blockchain technology are welcome in the Epic Game Store, as long as they comply with all relevant laws […].”
The games must, according to Sweeney, have the corresponding notices in their terms of service and appropriate age ratings. He concluded by adding that Epic itself does not use cryptocurrencies in its games, but it welcomes innovation in technology and finance.
Sweeney’s reaction is not surprising. The Epic Game Store is in direct competition with Steam and has prided itself from the beginning on being fairer to developers. For instance, by only charging 12% of revenue as a fee, instead of the 30% that Steam does.
Epic has therefore secured exclusivity rights to several large games multiple times, which should bring them new customers and advantages over Steam. These include, for example, Metro: Exodus or the time exclusivity of Red Dead Redemption 2.
It is not excluded that after the ban on Steam, the developers of the banned games may find a new home at Epic.
New MMORPG has not yet been released, already selling properties for 67,500 euros
