Games distribution platform Steam will remove all blockchain games, and therefore Age of Rust will disappear as well. Game studio SpacePirate Games announced on Twitter that Steam will remove all blockchain games, as they no longer allows the use of crypto tokens or NFTs.
Steam doesn’t want game items to have value in the real-world, and will therefore miss out on a new and exciting new gaming ecosystem. It’s also worth noting that Steam’s position on this is a bit of a double-edged sword, as the company makes money from the sales of expansion packs. Allowing content as NFTs would undermine that revenue stream.
However, their statement about ‘real world value’ is of course nonsense, because they already allowing selling of achievement rewards and game items within their ecosystem. It’s just that the earned value can’t move outside of Steam, while NFTs would break the walls of their ecosystem.
Within the blockchain space SpacePirates Games can find alternatives in Chain Games or games distribution platform Ultra. In addition smaller games platforms like Itch.io or GOG.com could be solid alternatives. There’s clearly no future for play-to-earn or blockchain-powered games on Steam, because we’ve already seen Steam blocking Lightnite.
What is Age of Rust?
Age of Rust is a single-player sci-fi adventure/puzzle game. Players will explore abandoned space stations, mysterious caverns, and ruins on far away worlds. Age of Rust offers a mix of puzzle games and light action. The game’s NFTs exist on Enjin’s Jumpnet.
Age of Rust is currently in beta and available as a free playtest version on Steam. You will need an Enjin wallet and an Age of Rust token in order to play the beta. Some of the higher-level missions and puzzles will only be available to those with the proper tokens, which can be sometimes found in-game, or purchased from the Enjin Markeplace or OpenSea.
