Popular game purchase and download app Steam has officially banned blockchain games containing cryptocurrency or NFT from being added to the list of more than 50.000 games on the platform.
Per Steam's Rules and Guidelines for publishers, "applications that allow the exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs or are built on blockchain technology" are no longer allowed to be distributed through Steam. This means that many blockchain games will be effectively banned from the platform until further notice.
The developers behind Age of Rust, a blockchain-based game where players can collect NFTs, talked about it. “We have chosen to be open about blockchain games and NFTs. As a result, we finally lost the war with Steam.” “While I'm disappointed with the removal of Age of Rust, the issue is mostly the fact that blockchain games will be removed as a whole. This is a setback for everyone.”
Valve, the company behind the Steam store, has yet to make a statement explaining the reason for this ban.
Blockchain games can be considered a product that, in current iterations, contradicts Steam's profit motive. However, it may be possible for Steam to share revenue with a blockchain game if the game's code allows it.
In the future, Steam may develop its own blockchain or NFT integrations. Although Epic Games, a Steam store competitor, said "We don't touch NFTs," the possibility of Steam developing its own NFT system or blockchain technology is not entirely off the table yet.