‘Minecraft’ Fails on Crypto and NFTs—But WorldCoin Integration Is Good, Says Microsoft

Minecraft, one of the most popular games in the world, is also arguably the biggest cryptocurrency pusher. NFT Combinations. Developer Mojang and publisher Microsoft have banned its use even in fan-run online servers. That's why it's amazing to see Worldcoin announced A Minecraft integration last week.

It is Worldcoin. Best known for “Orb”. A device that scans a person's retina and generates a unique iris code, which is tracked on the project's blockchain and used to show “body proof” to generate a global ID. Participants were given an airdrop of WLD crypto tokens, a key part of the Worldcoin ecosystem.

What does this have to do with Minecraft, the blocky sandbox game that became a global sensation? The Worldcoin app integration uses World ID credentials for user authentication, requiring Minecraft server operators to authenticate themselves before granting certain in-game permissions.

“With the increasing popularity of bots in online gaming, World ID provides a privacy-preserving way to verify humanity and provide insight into whether players are interacting with other human players or bots,” said a Worldcoin representative. DecryptGG. “The unique integration with Minecraft is designed to help server administrators reduce ‘sorry' situations and make the gaming experience safer and more enjoyable for everyone.”

In the year In 2022, Minecraft announced plans to ban NFTs and finally did it this year. It also banned the use of cryptocurrencies to reward players, forcing a server that paid bitcoins to shut down the feature last fall. In the statement Released in 2022Microsoft and Mojang have revealed what appears to be a broad ban on blockchain technologies.

To ensure a safe and inclusive experience for Minecraft players, blockchain technologies are not allowed to be integrated into our Minecraft client and server applications, and must not be used to create NFTs associated with any in-game content, including worlds, skins. Human objects or other modules.

However, the updated Minecraft final text End User License Agreement (EULA) bans NFTs that restrict gaming and create a sense of exclusivity around items to get features that pay players cryptocurrency.

“Fundamentally, we don't want mods that affect the player experience and create a lack of in-game content. [on] “Out-of-game circumstances,” the EULA says. “For example, a mod that directly or indirectly tests [if] It's okay with us if the player has NFT to unlock skins, actions, or other in-game experiences.

Worldcoin's integration is focused solely on World ID credentials and does not require cryptocurrency or tokens in the game. So it's free and clear then?

Reached for comment, a Minecraft spokesperson emphasized to Decrypt that the companies “have no involvement in the WorldCoin initiative and any Minecraft integration should be considered completely unofficial.”

But he added that Worldcoin's integration is “acceptable” as long as it “follows the guidelines” outlined in the EULA and is the first post about NFTs.

A Worldcoin representative further explained that the WLD token is different from the World ID credential and that people in some parts of the world cannot access the token right now.

“[It’s] It is important to note that WorldID and the token do not have to be used together to have a WorldID service,” said a Worldcoin representative. Decrypt. “Specifically, individuals in the United States can access the World ID but not the token.”

That separation between tech and token seems to be enough to help Worldcoin dress up Minecraft's rules on other blockchain integrations and make the world's ID function viable.

Edited by Ryan Ozawa.