Rockstar Games has announced in a statement posted on its official support page that Grand Theft Auto Online players are not permitted to sell or integrate cryptocurrencies and crypt assets such as NFTs.
The company went on to add that third-party roleplay servers – where players immerse themselves in the role of someone living in the game world and acting like a police officer or taxi driver (for instance) – are permitted, but these players are not allowed to sell loot boxes for real-world currency or GTA’s virtual money as well as sell other virtual currencies.
The statement reads, “Rockstar Games has always believed in reasonable fan creativity and wants creators to showcase their passion for our games. Third-party ‘roleplay’ servers are an extension of the rich array of community-created experiences within Grand Theft Auto that we hope will continue to thrive in a safe and friendly way for many years to come.”
Preventing “commercial exploitation”
A section in the statement covered what Rockstar referred to as “commercial exploitation” which is also where it states that under Take-Two’s legal enforcement policy, several actions and behaviours are not permitted such as selling virtual currencies.
In addition, players are not permitted to profit from their servers via in-game integrations or even corporate sponsorships. The company will take serious action against players who:
- Misuse of Rockstar’s intellectual property and trademarks
- Making new games, stories, missions or maps for GTA Online
- Importing and misusing other IP, including characters owned by other companies, real-world brands, trademarks and even music
- Interfering with the official multiplayer servers and online services that Rockstar operates, including GTA Online and Red Dead Online
Rockstar added that “This is not a license, and it does not constitute endorsement, approval, or authorization of any third-party project.
“Take-Two reserves the right to object to any third-party project, or to revise, revoke and/or withdraw this statement at any time in their own discretion. This statement does not constitute a waiver of any rights that Take-Two may have with respectto third-party projects.”
Apart from Rockstar, Mojang has also forbidden players from integrating NFTs and blockchain technologies into its popular Minecraft game with Epic boss Tim Sweeney also adding that the Epic Store has no plans of allowing NFT games in its current policy.
Isa Muhammad is a writer and video game journalist covering many aspects of entertainment media including the film industry. He's steadily writing his way to the sharp end of journalism and enjoys staying informed. If he's not reading, playing video games or catching up on his favourite TV series, then he's probably writing about them.
