NFT
Web3 fantasy sports company Sorare is introducing an alternative entry method for players based in France to comply with the country’s proposed regulatory framework around non-fungible tokens (NFTs).
Sorare is working with the French National Gaming Authority (ANJ) to legally onboard players in France. Sorare said in a blog post that the solution is short-term as they continue to develop their long-term roadmap amid ongoing regulatory discussions. The workaround is currently live for the flagship category Sorare: Football and will roll out to Sorare: MLB on May 26, 2023 and eventually to Sorare: NBA in the fall.
The news comes after the French government announced plans for a bill that would more tightly regulate the trading of in-game assets. However, the current framework doesn’t support games like Sorare, forcing the company to find ways to comply in the meantime.
“This development is part of Sorare’s roadmap to build an inclusive ecosystem that unites tens of millions of sports fans and supports its mission to bring these fans closer to the players, teams and leagues they love,” said a spokesman for Sorare to CoinDesk. “It doesn’t affect the structure of Sorare’s core game or league, or his cards.”
While the new entry method still allows players from France to access Sorare, the framework has a set of limitations that alter gameplay. Players in France can access the game by submitting a phone number and proof of residence. Having provided this, they can no longer compete with the NFT versions of the digital cards that have unique rarity features, but instead have lineups composed of non-blockchain versions of cards that have similar qualities to the NFT based maps from Sorare. .
Sorare has previously faced pressure from French authorities to change the rules due to gambling regulations in the country. In November, the French Gaming Authority released a statement asking regulators to better analyze Web3 gaming, leading Sorare to open up more open access to his game to appease the ANJ.
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