Rockstar approves roleplaying in GTA Online, but no loot boxes or NFTs

gamedeveloper.com:

Rockstar Games released a new statement on its support page outlining its stance on Grand Theft Auto Online's roleplaying community. While the developer called those servers "an extension of the rich array of community-created experiences within Grand Theft Auto," it also underlined what won't be allowed in that part of the community going forward.

Players of Grand Theft Auto Online have been participating in roleplay for some time now, wherein they pretend to be an average citizen in the game's world rather than partake in the game's objectives or play against one another. 

The new policy by Rockstar codifies the existence of GTA Online's player-led subset of game servers, while also limiting how those players can earn revenue by joining said servers.

In addition, Rockstar stressed that those community-driven servers can't feature "commercial exploitation," meaning players can't sell in-game items for real world money. It specifically calls out "the sale of virtual currencies, generating revenue via corporate sponsorships or in-game integrations, or the use of cryptocurrencies or crypto assets."

With this new statement, Rockstar joins Microsoft in being a developer that specifically forbids NFTs from being a part of its online games. This past July, Microsoft banned the controversial technology from Minecraft, saying NFTs conflicted with the guidelines established for the popular building game. 

Other things that Rockstar will use its legal enforcement policy on include active interference with the online services of its games (GTA Online and Red Dead Online), and misusing the trademarks and properties of Rockstar or other developers. Players also cannot create new games or missions using Rockstar assets.

While NFTs may not