# [PCGamer] Steam bans all games with NFTs or cryptocurrency



## Space Lynx (Oct 16, 2021)

Steam bans all games with NFTs or cryptocurrency
					

Valve's reasoning appears rooted in the potential to exchange NFTs for real money.




					www.pcgamer.com
				




Lord Gaben, I kneel before you! My sword is your sword!

ALL HAIL!  LORD GABEN! OUR SAVIOUR IN THE REALM!  THE LAST BASTION! THE LAST DEFENDER OF THE COSMOS AND THE HOPE OF MANKIND!





@lexluthermiester @TheLostSwede


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## rethcirE (Oct 16, 2021)

Meanwhile Epic Games says, "_Give_ me _your_ tired, _your poor_, _your_ huddled masses yearning to breathe free, and your blockchain NFT's".


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## R-T-B (Oct 16, 2021)

meh.  What game used NFTs anyways, short of crapware?  I feel like this is like banning dog poop and about as signifigant...  that's great gabe, you banned that crap sandwhich, but no one really was buying it on your market anyways...


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## Space Lynx (Oct 16, 2021)

R-T-B said:


> meh.  What game used NFTs anyways, short of crapware?  I feel like this is like banning dog poop and about as signifigant...  that's great gabe, you banned that crap sandwhich, but no one really was buying it on your market anyways...



banning all crypto not just not NFT's is a loud and clear message, wouldn't be surprised if other companies follow suit, and not just in the game industry.


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## R-T-B (Oct 16, 2021)

lynx29 said:


> banning all crypto not just not NFT's is a loud and clear message, wouldn't be surprised if other companies follow suit, and not just in the game industry.


They are banning it in internal game markets.  I wouldn't be surprised if they frown on that in general, but microtransactions gotta go brrr.

There are actually ways to spend crypto on steam, but Gabe doesn't need to know.  It's called a coinbase VISA.  We've moved well beyond this kind of stuff mattering honestly.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 16, 2021)

lynx29 said:


> Steam bans all games with NFTs or cryptocurrency
> 
> 
> Valve's reasoning appears rooted in the potential to exchange NFTs for real money.
> ...


So Steam does something good for once. Well done, I say.



rethcirE said:


> Meanwhile Epic Games says, "_Give_ me _your_ tired, _your poor_, _your_ huddled masses yearning to breathe free, and your blockchain NFT's".


You forgot GOG.



lynx29 said:


> banning all crypto not just not NFT's is a loud and clear message, wouldn't be surprised if other companies follow suit, and not just in the game industry.


You might be right. This could have long reaching implications.


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## Khonjel (Oct 16, 2021)

The joke writes itself it seems

__
		https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/q8z1l9


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 16, 2021)

Khonjel said:


> The joke writes itself it seems
> 
> __
> https://www.reddit.com/r/Games/comments/q8z1l9


Epic was never accredited with an over-abundance of brains..


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## Khonjel (Oct 16, 2021)

> Timmy 2 Weeks ago while steam hadn't banned NFTs:
> 
> 
> > We aren’t touching NFTs as the whole field is currently tangled up with an intractable mix of scams, interesting decentralized tech foundations, and scams.
> ...


I love the top reply in that post


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## Adam Krazispeed (Oct 16, 2021)

welp. Im UNINSTALLING EPIC...  Epic games can F*****************K Off

and IM geting EVERY DIME I SPENt ON THEIR LAME AS F***** k PLATFORM aANd F*****K CRYPTO, TAKING ALL OUR Gaming GRAPHICS CARDS


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## Space Lynx (Oct 16, 2021)

Adam Krazispeed said:


> welp. Im UNINSTALLING EPIC...  Epic games can F*****************K Off
> 
> and IM geting EVERY DIME I SPENt ON THEIR LAME AS F***** k PLATFORM aANd F*****K CRYPTO, TAKING ALL OUR Gaming GRAPHICS CARDS



calm down mate, ******* hell rofl 

Epic Games is just trying to spur competition I think, but I think they lack the skill level necessary. I still find myself enjoy the Uplay launcher layout and features more than Steam or Epic. I still love how Uplay gives me in-game rewards for achievement unlocks that money can't buy. satisfying.


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## silentbogo (Oct 16, 2021)

lynx29 said:


> Epic Games is just trying to spur competition I think, but I think they lack the skill level necessary.


They've tried "competition" already, and we know how this ended up.
This particular stunt is just keeping up a "rebellious" image - e.g. doing random shit that others think of as controversial.



R-T-B said:


> meh.  What game used NFTs anyways, short of crapware?  I feel like this is like banning dog poop and about as signifigant...  that's great gabe, you banned that crap sandwhich, but no one really was buying it on your market anyways...


I think "real money" argument still has a place to be. Valve still struggles with loot gambling for their own games, and NFTs on steam is another shitstorm waiting to happen.
If you think lootboxes and collectible items are bad, try to imagine what would happen if you add the ability to earn and sell loot/collectibles without barriers (_khm-khm... Diablo 3 marketplace khm-khm..._).
Right now it's mostly indie devs with garbageware and plagiarism-fueled creative diarrhea projects, but tomorrow it might as well be something big from Blizzard or Ubi or Crytek(who for some reason still keeps their crypto on life support).


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## Chomiq (Oct 16, 2021)

Luls at anyone who thinks Valve did this because they care about gamers. They care about profits.


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## Bomby569 (Oct 16, 2021)

The news is pretty clear, Fat Gabe was just worried there would be money on Steam that he couldn't tax, that's the only reason.

If he really cared to clean up all the garbage on Steam, like asset flip and random crapware. Not that i'm in favor of any bans, more like a cleanup of a cluttered store were to navegate it you have to go knee deep into all the crap out there. To be fair to Epic there standards are much higher, seems more like a propor video game store.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 16, 2021)

Bomby569 said:


> The news is pretty clear, Fat Gabe was just worried there would be money on Steam that he couldn't tax, *that's the only reason*.
> 
> If he really cared to clean up all the garbage on Steam, like asset flip and random crapware. Not that i'm in favor of any bans, more like a cleanup of a cluttered store were to navegate it you have to go knee deep into all the crap out there. To be fair to Epic there standards are much higher, seems more like a propor video game store.


Oh please, you have no clue what Gabe is thinking or what his ultimate intentions are. Quit crap-posting.


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## DeathtoGnomes (Oct 16, 2021)

> SpacePirate says that Steam's ban on NFTs and cryptocurrency is an extension of a general ban on items that have a real-world monetary value.


RMT (Real Money Transactions ) has been around since before I sold my first ( 3rd actually ) character for $1500 in Everquest 1,  and wasnt even max level back when.. Sony (SOE/Verant/989) tried to stop them and eventually did years later.  There were too many ripoffs by claiming your account was hacked and stolen. This is what Steam may be trying to put a stop to it before it gets out of hand for them. I wouldnt be surprised if there were complaints and attempts to get back loses that have been scammed already.  Epic is like not aware of these  types of things  or are choosing to ignore it, not a big deal until you get scammed.

Games based on blockchains are essentially mining, or close enough,  and an unaware player will remain clueless. I never liked lootboxes, but odds are always in favor of the game, blockchains can make certain it does.


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## Bomby569 (Oct 16, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Oh please, you have no clue what Gabe is thinking or what his ultimate intentions are. Quit crap-posting.



good point, because he can only comment on the news when we have a direct link to the subjects brain to download his intentions


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## HD64G (Oct 16, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Oh please, you have no clue what Gabe is thinking or what his ultimate intentions are. Quit crap-posting.


Not a valid argument since you praised him on previous post as though YOU know why he hid that.


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 16, 2021)

Bomby569 said:


> good point, because he can only comment on the news when we have a direct link to the subjects brain to download his intentions


Ah, so you're not done crap-posting? Ok then..



HD64G said:


> Not a valid argument since you praised him on previous post as though YOU know why he hid that.


Context is important. I praised the decision, not the motivations behind it. Argument valid.



DeathtoGnomes said:


> This is what Steam may be trying to put a stop to it before it gets out of hand for them.


That's possible. Perhaps even likely.


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## HD64G (Oct 16, 2021)

A wise man said once: "A good thing isn't good if not done properly well". Some food for thought.


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## eidairaman1 (Oct 16, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Epic was never accredited with an over-abundance of brains..


They lost that capacity after UT2004


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## Space Lynx (Oct 16, 2021)

eidairaman1 said:


> They lost that capacity after UT2004



yep those were the good days. I still replay the original UT sometimes, amazing how long ago it came out and it still holds up really well for fun factor.


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## Vayra86 (Oct 16, 2021)

rethcirE said:


> Meanwhile Epic Games says, "_Give_ me _your_ tired, _your poor_, _your_ huddled masses yearning to breathe free, and your blockchain NFT's".



Nope. Sweeney also released a statement of similar nature.

Nice FUD attempt with no basis though. Its a blind copy of the article but he said something else entirely. But ofcourse that doesn't generate clicks or comments for the site. Just look at it again, read it carefully.

What Sweeney said about it:

"Epic Games Store will welcome games that make use of blockchain tech *provided they follow the relevant laws, disclose their terms, and are age-rated by an appropriate group*. Though Epic's not using crypto in our games, we welcome innovation in the areas of technology and finance."

Name one NFT that ticks these boxes. Just one  Also, note Epic's saying 'we're not using crypto in our games'. Put differently, Sweeney/EGS is in wait and see mode. Is that very different than what Valve is doing now? The fact really is that Valve let it happen and THEN takes action. It shines light on how both companies curate their content. EGS has a different policy there, as you can see.


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## R-T-B (Oct 16, 2021)

DeathtoGnomes said:


> Games based on blockchains are essentially mining


No.    Mining is an entirely different animal than NFT blockchain based games.

Both are crap, but for different reasons.


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## silentbogo (Oct 16, 2021)

HD64G said:


> Not a valid argument since you praised him on previous post as though YOU know why he hid that.


Dude, in approximately 99% of situations I tend to disagree with lex, but this is definitely NOT one of these cases.
Valve is a private company that has a benefit of doing whatever they want (including weird and good).
You can't just claim that Gabe did it out of greed without at least proving your point. I can just as easily claim that he did it 'cause aliens told him to, and I'll be just as right if neither of us proves the point. 

Also, don't forget that they have to maintain at least some community-friendly public image, which means doing things like cleaning up "Greenlight" program and indie catalog, banning scammers and cheaters, making sure that people won't gamble on loot etc. After all ,there's like what, half-a-dozen games with NFTs in existence? Definitely not a financial threat or anything to fuel someone's greed, but has a potential of becoming a glaring brown spot on company's mighty pants of reputation (just like CSGO loot casinos or trading card scams).


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## AusWolf (Oct 16, 2021)

Chomiq said:


> Luls at anyone who thinks Valve did this because they care about gamers. They care about profits.


There's nothing wrong with making profit on something that also benefits us, imo.


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## Valantar (Oct 16, 2021)

Credit where credit is due: this is a good move. NFTs are a scam - period - and banning them is good for everyone but the scammers. Epic "welcoming" them is on the other hand disappointing (if rather unsurprising). I generally don't buy into the "good guy Valve" cult whatsoever, but regardless of motivations this is a good move.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Oct 16, 2021)

Epic fishing for all the banned developers from steam maybe


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## Vayra86 (Oct 16, 2021)

Chomiq said:


> Luls at anyone who thinks Valve did this because they care about gamers. They care about profits.



Long term successful business makes sure every stakeholder including the end user has the feeling they have something to gain from the transaction.

Valve is paving that way since day one and this is no different. Its clear the company is in it for the long haul, not just to make a quick buck, by now. Yes, profit, obviously, because otherwise you can't stay afloat. I applaud the introduction of competition in digital distribution, and what you're seeing here is that both primary distributors (EGS and Valve) are following the same train of thought wrt NFT. These are signs of a business model that works long term, and companies aiming to preserve it for long term.


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## Bomby569 (Oct 16, 2021)

silentbogo said:


> Dude, in approximately 99% of situations I tend to disagree with lex, but this is definitely NOT one of these cases.
> Valve is a private company that has a benefit of doing whatever they want (including weird and good).
> You can't just claim that Gabe did it out of greed without at least proving your point. I can just as easily claim that he did it 'cause aliens told him to, and I'll be just as right if neither of us proves the point.
> 
> Also, don't forget that they have to maintain at least some community-friendly public image, which means doing things like cleaning up "Greenlight" program and indie catalog, banning scammers and cheaters, making sure that people won't gamble on loot etc. After all ,there's like what, half-a-dozen games with NFTs in existence? Definitely not a financial threat or anything to fuel someone's greed, but has a potential of becoming a glaring brown spot on company's mighty pants of reputation (just like CSGO loot casinos or trading card scams).



are you seriously using the argument that Steam did this to clean up their Store? have you ever went on Steam i wonder


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## Space Lynx (Oct 16, 2021)

Bomby569 said:


> are you seriously using the argument that Steam did this to clean up their Store? have you ever went on Steam i wonder



it's obvious why Steam did it, its just a mess from a bureaucratic paperwork perspective. Epic apparently doesn't mind hiring an army of Accountants and/or lawyers. cause that is what it will take to keep all those NFT's and crypto transactions legal and documented in multiple countries. 

I expect other companies to follow suit. Most companies don't have Fortnite level of money to blow. lol


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## Bomby569 (Oct 16, 2021)

lynx29 said:


> it's obvious why Steam did it, its just a mess from a bureaucratic paperwork perspective. Epic apparently doesn't mind hiring an army of Accountants and/or lawyers. cause that is what it will take to keep all those NFT's and crypto transactions legal and documented in multiple countries.
> 
> I expect other companies to follow suit. Most companies don't have Fortnite level of money to blow. lol



Steam is not a criptocurrency broker, what would happen in this case were person to person transaction or based on an actual broker. It's like saying if i bought same used stuff from you here and paid with cripto, the forum had to keep "NFT's and crypto transactions legal and documented in multiple countries".


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## silentbogo (Oct 16, 2021)

Bomby569 said:


> are you seriously using the argument that Steam did this to clean up their Store? have you ever went on Steam i wonder


And why not? There's nothing that contradicts my point, and there are things that do strongly support it...  unlike the good-ole "ye corporate scum!" argument that everyone likes to throw around nowadays just because.


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## Deleted member 24505 (Oct 16, 2021)

Bomby569 said:


> are you seriously using the argument that Steam did this to clean up their Store? have you ever went on Steam i wonder



Yep steam is full of smut, "adult" games that are iffy at best.


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## Space Lynx (Oct 16, 2021)

Tigger said:


> Yep steam is full of smut, "adult" games that are iffy at best.



Yeah, I didn't like that when they let adult games occur, was only within last few years they allowed that too if I remember right. I really dislike that decision.


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## Bomby569 (Oct 16, 2021)

Tigger said:


> Yep steam is full of smut, "adult" games that are iffy at best.



and those endless Putin games


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## Vayra86 (Oct 16, 2021)

Guys, reading comprehension matters. If you read Sweeney's tweet, he never said he's using Crypto in games at all. He even confirmed its not happening currently, while Steam was already banning content.

Take that as a moment to reflect and not take everything you read for granted. You took the last line of the article in OP and ran with it... but its wrong.









						[PCGamer] Steam bans all games with NFTs or cryptocurrency
					

https://www.pcgamer.com/steam-bans-nfts-cryptocurrencies-blockchain/  Lord Gaben, I kneel before you! My sword is your sword!  ALL HAIL!  LORD GABEN! OUR SAVIOUR IN THE REALM!  THE LAST BASTION! THE LAST DEFENDER OF THE COSMOS AND THE HOPE OF MANKIND!  :rockout::rockout::rockout::rockout...




					www.techpowerup.com
				




So, who's worse? Its worth considering. Is either of them bad in the first place? I think not. They're using the exact same policy today. Its not as fun for the usual EGS/Steam flamewar, but let's just keep it real.

Here's another source sometime ago:

__ https://twitter.com/i/web/status/1442519522875949061


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## R-T-B (Oct 16, 2021)

People also forget steam accepted bitcoin as a native payment method back before fees were out of hand (circa 2017).


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## lexluthermiester (Oct 16, 2021)

silentbogo said:


> Dude, in approximately 99% of situations I tend to disagree with lex, but this is definitely NOT one of these cases.


Damn, and I was aiming for 99.9%.  Epic fail on my part... 

J/K



R-T-B said:


> People also forget steam accepted bitcoin as a native payment method back before fees were out of hand (circa 2017).


Didn't it end with it all biting them in the bum and a some serious money loss? I don't remember..


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## Space Lynx (Oct 16, 2021)

R-T-B said:


> People also forget steam accepted bitcoin as a native payment method back before fees were out of hand (circa 2017).



I did forget that. I think that is what a lot of companies count on, regardless of the industry, they know human memory is quite **** so they are always pushing the limits. Twenty years ago we would have exploded with how much privacy and data rights we have given up, nice and slow push lol


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## R-T-B (Oct 16, 2021)

lexluthermiester said:


> Damn, and I was aiming for 99.9%.  Epic fail on my part...
> 
> J/K
> 
> ...


Quick say something contraversial and mean!  Like that "windows clock network sync is for p*****" thing.


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## The red spirit (Oct 16, 2021)

lynx29 said:


> yep those were the good days. I still replay the original UT sometimes, amazing how long ago it came out and it still holds up really well for fun factor.


I still play UT2004 from time to time.


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