Blockchain Game Companies Pen Open Letter to Valve: ‘Don’t Ban Web3 Games’

A handful of blockchain companies wrote a letter Tuesday to Valve, creator of the gaming platform Steam, in a bid to reverse a decision to boot blockchain-based video games from its platform last month.

Fight for the Future, Enjin and the Blockchain Game Alliance, along with 26 blockchain game companies, are calling on Valve to lift its ban on Web3 technologies, including non-fungible tokens (NFTs).

“Games that utilize blockchain technology and web3 token-based technologies like DAOs (decentralized autonomous organizations) and NFTs can positively enhance the user experience of games, and create new economic opportunities for users and creators,” the companies said.

Steam is the largest digital distribution platform for PC games with 17 million to 24 million daily users.

A ban from the Steam platform effectively stymies a lucrative venue that blockchain games can use to market their games to the public.

Last month, Steam banned blockchain-based games from its platform, stating that items with value, such as NFTs, aren’t allowed because they possess real-world value that could potentially create a regulatory problem for Valve.

“Valve, Web3 games are a fast-moving and exciting category of games that have a place within the Steam ecosystem,” the companies said in their letter. “Please consider changing your stance on this issue and permit tokens and, more broadly, the use of blockchain tech on the Steam platform.”

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