Epic Games has committed to embrace blockchain and crypto at a time when rival company Valve is banning it.
Crypto games have been appearing on the Epic Games store while Valve's digital marketplace, Steam, has suspended all crypto games.
Valve made an announcement last week to say that any game built on blockchain technology would be suspended from the store, whether that app allowed the exchange of specific cryptocurrencies or NFTs. The company is possibly trying to stay ahead of a crackdown by regulators.
Talking to The Verge, Epic Games said that it would be “open to cryptocurrency or blockchain-based assets”.
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. https://t.co/6W7hb8zJBw
— Tim Sweeney (@TimSweeneyEpic) October 15, 2021
In a tweet EPIC CEO Tim Sweeney said: “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.”
While Epic itself won't be using cryptocurrencies for its games, the company is still open to ushering in innovation in the gaming industry, Sweeney told The Verge.
The chief executive has been known as one to embrace innovation and push for higher diversity across the gaming and technological sector.
Fortnite, the game that arguably helped build Epic Games in the first place, has introduced a currency by the name of V-Bucks which was accidentally added as a payment option, but became so popular that Epic never removed it.
Steam remains the biggest distributor of digital games and has been for decades. With their decision though, they are not breaking their philosophy.
While government oversight may be expected, Amy Wu from venture capital firm Lightspeed said that the move had been anticipated.
Decentralized platforms make it possible for users and developers to get the full value of those games without much going back to mediators.
While Epic and Valve go their own separate ways, blockchain and crypto platforms as Bitcasino.io, 1xBit and FortuneJack remain available for decentralized gaming.
