According to The Verge, Epic is “open to games that support cryptocurrency or blockchain-based assets” on its game store, in contrast to its competitor Valve, which has prohibited games that utilize blockchain technology or non-fungible tokens from its Steam platform.
When The Verge inquired about the possibility of permitting games that included NFTs, Epic said that there would be certain restrictions, but that it would be happy to collaborate with “early creators” in the “new field.”
Epic Games has stated that the games will be required to conform with financial regulations, make it clear how the blockchain will be utilized, and have age ratings that are acceptable for the target audience. It also states that developers will not be able to utilize Epic’s payment service in order to take cryptocurrency; instead, they will be required to create their own payment systems.
Epic’s CEO, Tim Sweeney, has previously stated that the business is not interested in working with non-financial technologies (NFTs), although that remark now appears to apply exclusively to the company’s own games. During its collaboration with developers to learn how they want to use blockchain technology in their games, Epic has told The Verge that it will explain the regulations as it goes forward.
The following day, after we published this piece, Sweeney tweeted some more thoughts: he says Epic is open to “innovation in the fields of technology and money,” and he adds that blockchain is neither good nor bad in and of itself.
None of this implies that developers who have been rejected by Steam should run out and publish their games on the Epic Game Store. Epic’s self-publishing initiative is now in closed beta, and according to the company’s FAQ, it decides who may participate on a “case-by-case basis.” While Epic has demonstrated itself to be a relatively permissive platform owner, this was a point of contention during the company’s trial with Apple when lawyers brought up the “offensive and sexualized” games that were available on Itch.io, a game store that was accessible through Epic’s game store, as a point of contention.
Another manner in which Epic might compete with Valve is by allowing games that are now prohibited by Steam. Epic has previously demonstrated that it is prepared to put large bets in order to establish itself as a significant player in the PC gaming sector, and this might be yet another attempt to win over players and developers to its cause. Following the announcement of Steam, several NFT enthusiasts quickly turned their attention to Epic.
Enjin, a business that assists creators in incorporating NFTs into their goods (such as SpacePirate, who tweeted about their game being removed from Steam), shared our Steam post and tagged Epic CEO Tim Sweeney, requesting a meeting with the CEO of the company. It appears that at least one of their questions has been answered.
