Rockstar updates GTA RP rules after rapper sets up server to sell NFTs
Rockstar GamesAfter rapper Lil Durk attempted to use his GTA RP server as a marketplace to sell his NFTs, Rockstar Games is cracking down.
GTA Online roleplaying servers have become one of the favorite ways for players to congregate together in Los Santos. In a roleplaying server, you get to take on your own unique role within the community and engage in unfolding storylines.
Many famous streamers have joined private GTA RP servers to hang out with friends, but usually the money they’re making from playing has to do with ad revenue and subscriptions.
After one rapper tried to use a GTA RP server for a more direct money-making business, developer Rockstar Games has stepped in.
Rapper Lil Durk sells NFTs in GTA RP server
According to a report by PC Gamer, in October 2022 rapper Lil Durk was set to release a “‘Trenches Pass’ giving fans access to a ‘pre-sale,’ which was an NFT offering exclusive access to a GTA Online roleplay server.”
Rockstar, who is not too keen on having its flagship franchise Grand Theft Auto associated with NFTs and other blockchain technology, has taken action to prevent the use of GTA Online servers in this way.
The developer updated its RP server regulations to include a prohibition against “commercial exploitation, including the sale of “loot boxes” for real-world currency or its in-game equivalent, the sale of virtual currencies, generating revenue via corporate sponsorships or in-game integrations, or the use of cryptocurrencies or crypto assets (e.g. “NFTs”).”
Although Rockstar and GTA publisher Take-Two have reportedly been interested in integrating NFTs into the upcoming GTA VI, fans do not appear to have the same appetite for this idea.
NFTs and other crypto assets have become a massively controversial in gaming, with developers facing pushback from players. This appears to be one of the rare instances where a developer is preventing outside forces from using their product to push crypto assets.