Valve bars blockchain apps that allow trading of NFTs from Steam

Who blocks the blockchain?

Valve, the company behind massive PC gaming platform Steam, looks to be cracking down on NFTs on its storefront. A new update to the Steam partner rules says applications that allow issuing or trading cryptocurrencies or NFTs shouldn’t be published on Steam.

The update was noted today by the developer of Age of Rust, which says it received notice that “Steam will be kicking *all blockchain games* off the platform.” The accompanying screenshot shows the new rule among a list of Valve’s “do-not’s” for publishing on Steam.

The rule, as currently viewable on the Steam partner page, lists “applications built on blockchain technology that issue or allow exchange of cryptocurrencies or NFTs” as an example of what you “shouldn’t” publish on Steam. Other examples on the list include hate speech, exploitative content, fraudulent data collection, and malware.

Valve has had some tussles over its publishing rules, like those concerning adult content, in the past. NFTs, however, have created a lot of noise in the last few months, especially with some of the recent horror stories, so it’s easy to see how Valve might not want to find itself embroiled in NFTs until the dust settles. Valve does allow user-to-user transactions of some items through its Steam marketplace, like cosmetics for Counter-Strike: Global Offensive and Dota 2.

We’ve reached out to Valve for comment.