With all the controversy about NFTs – including companies announcing support for them before retracting that support shortly afterward – indie game site Itch.io has taken to Twitter to confirm its stance on the blockchain currency: “NFTs are a scam”, with some harsh words for any company that deals in them.
NFTs are a deeply controversial topic in the games industry – and the world in general, really. Steam has banned any games that use them outright, and any game studio that has announced plans to utilise NFTs – such as Team 17 or the team behind STALKER 2 – has faced immediate backlash, despite some bigger publishers going ahead with them.
Now indie game supporter Itch.io has weighed in on the situation and confirmed its stance on NFTs, as apparently people have been asking the company about them. In a multi-part post on Twitter, Itch.io didn’t mince words: “NFTs are a scam,” it says, adding that they are only used for the “exploitation of creators, financial scams, and the destruction of the planet”.
It also didn’t hold back on its criticism for companies that supports or endorses NFTs. “They only care about their own profit and the opportunity for wealth above anyone else”. Ouch.
A few have asked about our stance on NFTs:
NFTs are a scam. If you think they are legitimately useful for anything other than the exploitation of creators, financial scams, and the destruction of the planet the we ask that please reevaluate your life choices.
Peace ✌️
— itch.io (@itchio) February 6, 2022
How can you be so dense? 😢
— itch.io (@itchio) February 6, 2022
While NFT plans continue to get announced, even in the strangest ways, those plans will almost certainly get condemned immediately every time they get revealed. Hopefully NFTs will go away at some point instead.