Steam is cracking down on games that may issue NFTs or cryptocurrency. NFT stands for a non-fungible token; the term is often used to refer to digital assets that people sell and buy online. Though NFTs can take shape in various forms, they proved to be the most successful when they are digital art.
NFTs have been surrounded by a lot of controversies ever since they started getting traction earlier in the year. Many artists and onlookers have criticized NFTs for monetizing images that should be free to view online and for restricting access to iconic art to the average consumer. Many artists have found the act of turning their arts to NFTs to be immoral.
It appears that Valve and Steam will be taking a hard stance against NFTs and other cryptocurrencies, at least when it comes to having them on its platform. On Steam's Partner Onboarding page, it was revealed that Valve will no longer allow distributors to publish "[a]pplications built on blockchain technology that issue or allow exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs."
Age of Rust was one of those games banned on Steam due to having blockchain technology. According to the Age of Rust Twitter account, Steam's point of view is that they don't want to allow items with a real-world value on its platform.
For more about Steam, keep reading on Pro Game Guides.
Writer for Gamepur and Pro Games Guide.