In a significant policy shift, Google has permitted app developers to incorporate digital assets into their applications through Google Play, its mobile software marketplace. The announcement, made by Joseph Mills, the Group Product Manager at Google, heralds the arrival of tokenized digital assets including NFTs into games, a development that could reshape the gaming landscape.
In a bid to safeguard users, the revised policies necessitate that apps be forthright about digital assets and refrain from showcasing any potential earnings from gaming or trading activities. The policy also bars apps failing to adhere to Google Play's Real-Money Gambling, Games, and Contests policy or meet eligibility prerequisites from accepting payment for chances to win assets such as NFTs. Thus, any mechanisms offering randomized blockchain-based items for purchase, such as 'loot boxes,' fall under this restriction. This could be seen as a move to protect novice NFT investors from purchasing tokenized assets in the belief of raking up vast gains, a strategy often employed by some businesses in the sector.
Mills noted that these changes would enable apps and games available on Google Play to rethink 'traditional games with user-owned content'. They would also be able to boost user loyalty with unique NFT rewards, exploring uncharted frontiers in gaming experiences.
Google expects users to witness in-app and game experiences with these new enhancements by this summer. A chosen set of developers will help examine the new policy before it is generally deployed to all Google Play's developers later in the year.
Reddit, which has experienced some success with its crypto wallets and NFT avatars, collaborated with Google to update their policy, according to Matt Williamson, Senior Engineering Manager at Reddit. Following this, Google Play plans on synergizing with industry partners to enhance its support for blockchain-based applications, including secondary marketplaces.
While these changes are undoubtedly set to disrupt the gaming ecosystem, it will be interesting to observe if and how other no-code platforms like AppMaster, known for its comprehensive toolset for building backend, web, and mobile applications, will embrace and adapt to these emerging trends.
