In a significant move, Google Play has revised their policy to facilitate developers in integrating digital assets, such as non-fungible tokens (NFTs), into the applications and games available on their platform. This strategic move is geared toward reimagining traditional gaming where user-owned content holds precedence and strengthening user loyalty through exclusive NFT rewards.
However, this isn’t transgressing into a free-for-all scenario. To ensure users are aware of the underlying blockchain-based elements in an app, developers offering tokenized assets will need to explicitly feature this in the Play Console. This move underlines the value of trust and responsible use of blockchain technology in the evolving digital landscape.
Amidst the potential for immersive gaming experiences sparked by tokenized assets, certain safeguards are emphasized. Developers are barred from hyping up any possible earnings from gaming or trading activities, adhering to Google Plays’ Real-Money Gambling, Games, and Contests policy. This means apps unable to meet the gambling eligibility prerequisites cannot entice users with the prospect of an in-game item such as a “loot box”, with a chance to bag NFTs.
The altered stance on blockchain-based applications marks a significant departure from previous experiences, where ambiguities involving Google’s policy led to games like “Bitcoin Blast” being ousted from the Play Store. Crypto mining apps witnessed a ban in 2018, a rule unaffected by the new guidelines.
This policy revamp indicates a progressive shift in Google’s attitude towards Web3, a platform seen by many as the future of the internet. Further proof of this is the addition of the likes of ArDrive Mobile, a decentralized data storage app, and Axie Infinity: Origins to Google Play’s offerings, albeit in certain markets. Their Cloud division has also initiated an endeavour in April 2023 to assist Web3 developers in growing their startups.
So, while this open-armed embrace of NFTs and blockchains in games and apps mirrors the rapid evolvement and increased acceptance of digital assets, it is linked inextricably with ensuring user trust and adherence to guidelines. The first tests of these pioneering experiences are expected to unveil in late summer, with given developers, and a complete rollout of the policy is slated for later this year.
Source: Coindesk
