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Cryptocurrencies and NFTs have been formally banned Grand Theft Auto Online‘s popular Role Playing (RP) server. That’s according to a new set of guidelines posted to Rockstar’s support site last Friday.
In the note, the game’s publisher says its new RP server rules align 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 creates new “games, stories, missions, or maps” for the game. This means RP servers based on rebuild Super Mario Kart in which Grand Theft Auto For example, the world could be faced with “priority enforcement action” by Rockstar.
But the new RP policy surpasses the existing single-player mod policy by banning “commercial use.” This is a broad term that Rockstar says specifically includes the sale of loot boxes, virtual currencies, corporate sponsorships, or any integration of cryptocurrencies into “crypto assets (e.g., ‘NFTs’).”
It’s all been done before
The new guidelines appear to be a direct response to The Trenches, an RPG community launched by OTF Gaming and rapper Lil Durk in September. This server advertised the integration with both “endemic and non-endemic brands in gaming” and a “Trenches Pass” NFT drop to access certain content on the server.
“We have been asked to cease all Trenches operations,” OTF Gaming said in a statement on social media. “We have no choice but to comply with their demands as we wish to please Take-Two and Rockstar. We will work with them to find an amicable solution to this matter.”
Rockstar reportedly forced Lil Durk to shut down his Trenches GTA RPG server‼️😳 pic.twitter.com/eMlJCGVjUi
— RapTV (@Rap) November 20, 2022
If this situation sounds familiar, it could be because developer Mojang similarly banned NFT integration from its online servers in July. At that time, Minecraft-based crypto project NFT Worlds said it hopes to work with Mojang to “find an alternative outcome that will work for the Minecraft player base.”
Days later, however, NFT Worlds announced that it had abandoned that and started work on a new game that would be “based on many of the core mechanics of Minecraft” but “completely independent of the policy enforcement that Microsoft and Mojang have.” Minecraft.”
in the MinecraftIn the case of NFTs, Mojang said that the “scarcity and exclusion” inherent in NFTs “doesn’t jibe with it Minecraft Values of creative inclusion and playing together.” This reasoning applies less to GTA Onlinea game that brings in hundreds of millions of dollars annually by selling in-game currency and exclusive items for player use.
If anything, things like NFTs and loot boxes could be considered competition GTA Online‘s official monetization efforts. However, with that competition over, Rockstar seems intent on allowing the RP servers to continue operating within reason.
“Rockstar Games has always believed in sane fan creativity and wants developers to show their passion for our games,” the company writes. “Third-party roleplay servers are an extension of the rich array of community-created experiences within Grand Theft Auto which we hope will thrive in a safe and friendly manner for many years to come.”
