Crypto and NFTs are not welcome in Grand Theft Auto Online

Cryptocurrencies and NFTs are officially banned Grand Theft Auto OnlinePopular role-playing (RP) servers. This is according to a new set of guidelines posted to Rockstar’s support site last Friday.

In the note, the game’s publisher says the new RP server rules are in line with Rockstar’s existing rules for single-player mods. Both sets of rules prohibit content that uses third-party intellectual property, interferes with official multiplayer services, or makes new “games, stories, missions, or maps” for the game. This means that RP servers rely on rebuilding Super Mario Kart In the grand theft auto The world, for example, could face Rockstar’s “Priority in Enforcement Action.”

But the new RP guidelines go beyond the current single player guidelines in preventing “commercial exploitation”. This is a broad term that Rockstar says specifically includes the sale of loot boxes, virtual currency, corporate sponsorships, or any cryptocurrency integration of “crypto assets” (for example “NFTs”).

All this has been done before

The new guidelines seem to respond directly to “The Trenches,” a role-playing community launched in September by OTF Gaming and rapper Lil Durk. This server has announced integration with “brands endemic and non-endemic to the gaming space” and dropping a “Trenches Pass” NFT to access select content on the server.

“We have been asked to cease all operations of Trenches,” OTF Gaming said in a statement. on social media. “We have no choice but to comply with their demands, as we intend to do it right through Take-Two and Rockstar. We will work with them to find an amicable resolution to this matter.”

Rockstar Reportedly Forced Lil Durk To Shut Down GTA Server Playing “Trenches”‼️😳 pic.twitter.com/eMlJCGVjUi

—RapTV (Rap) November 20, 2022

If this situation looks familiar, it may be because developer Mojang similarly blocked NFT integrations from its online servers in July. in time, Maine CraftCrypto-based project NFT Worlds said it hopes to work with Mojang to “find an alternative outcome that would be beneficial to Maine Craft player base.

Days later, though, NFT Worlds said it had dropped that and started working on a new game that would be “based on many of the core mechanics of Minecraft” but would be “completely unencumbered” by enforcing Microsoft and Mojang’s policies. Maine Craft. “

in Maine CraftIn Mojang’s case, he argued that the “scarcity and exclusion” inherent in NFTs “are incompatible with Maine Craft Values ​​creative inclusion and playing together. This logic applies less to GTA OnlineIt is, however, a game that makes hundreds of millions of dollars a year by selling in-game currency and exclusive items for players to use.

If anything, things like NFTs and loot boxes can be seen as competition GTA OnlineFormal monetization efforts. With that competition on hold, Rockstar seems eager to allow RP servers to continue operating within reason.

“Rockstar Games has always believed in sensible fan creativity and wants creators to show their passion for our games,” the company wrote. Third-party “role-playing” servers are an extension of the rich set of community-created experiences within them grand theft auto We hope it continues to thrive in a safe and friendly manner for many years to come.”