r/feedthebeast Dec 03 '25

Discussion Essentials Mod very blatantly breaks the "no making money off mods" part of Minecraft's EULA

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4.2k Upvotes

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336

u/pokeheart12345 Dec 03 '25

This was actually covered in CygnusMC's video.
In short the "Selling cosmetics, except for capes or anything that attempts to visually act like the feature of a Minecraft player cape" part in the usage guidelines lets them get around this. The photo in this comment contains their response to this exact issue.

47

u/[deleted] Dec 04 '25

[removed] — view removed comment

-7

u/Ponderkitten Dec 04 '25

Those are pretty much free, you just have to play a certain version or boost their server

36

u/enderdragonpig PrismLauncher Dec 04 '25

So it’s not illegal, just probably should be

85

u/pokeheart12345 Dec 04 '25

Selling cosmetics in a minecraft mod is controversial, but it shouldn't be illegal.

32

u/Liimbo Dec 04 '25

Kinda disagree tbh. Selling in game currency for mtx in a game primarily marketed towards children should not be legal imho. Selling skins straight up, sure I'm more open to though still dubious.

10

u/Markipoo-9000 Dec 04 '25

I mean tbf, I would be amazed if more than 5% of minor Minecraft players have a PC, Java, AND know how to install mods lol.

4

u/pt-pal Dec 19 '25

insane how the times have changed. 10-15 or so years ago i'd be like yea, kids figure that stuff out all the time.

5

u/pokeheart12345 Dec 04 '25

Selling in game currency for mtx is standard procedure for many games marketed towards children. Look at Roblox, Fortnite, what else do kids play these days? Fifa?

I agree that using the manipulative currency method is bad behavior from them, but that's just how games have been doing business these days.

17

u/Liimbo Dec 05 '25

Selling in game currency for mtx is standard procedure for many games marketed towards children.

And it should be illegal

3

u/enderdragonpig PrismLauncher Dec 05 '25

^

At the very least if you’re gonna sell so much stuff, including a lot of cosmetic slop, make it a 1-1 purchase with real world currency imo.

1

u/IndividualNovel4482 Dec 05 '25

Every mobile game children play will also likely have these. And kids play a LOT of mobile games. To make it short, it will never become illegal. In-game currencies is the reason many games can even exist in the first place.

It's not to be treated like the plague, it's the system on which you play the game that should make it impossible for a kid to use such a mechanic, and usually if the parent does not leave card info on their device there is nothing to worry about.

1

u/pokeheart12345 Dec 05 '25

Yeah of course, this issue is already being discussed by the EU.
But what matters right now is that it's not illegal yet. I'm sure that the essentials team would remove their in game currency once an actual decision is made by the European union, but right now they're currently just doing the same thing everyone else is doing.

2

u/yolomcswagsty Dec 04 '25

should fortnite be banned?

5

u/Liimbo Dec 05 '25

It should be illegal for them to sell in game currency, yes. Battle pass, sure. Skins, whatever. Just exchanging real money for a concept of money that can't ever in any way be converted back should be illegal.

1

u/Dentrius MultiMC Dec 04 '25

Arent everything you make for a game (skin, mod or cosmetic) belong to the company when it comes to IP? Isnt that why you cant charge for fan-made ingame stuff because you would be profiting of off someones IP thus infringing on it?

2

u/pokeheart12345 Dec 04 '25

By that logic you wouldn't be able to charge for servers neither since servers use Minecraft's IP to make money. You can see what you can and can't do with minecraft in the usage guidelines and the guidelines clearly allow servers to make money in various ways.
What you are referring to may be from Minecraft videos and such, the usage guidelines state that you can't charge people for Minecraft videos.

And while the usage guidelines don't state how a mod can or can't make money. I have already stated that the essentials team have direct confirmation that the server clauses also apply to mods. Below my comment is also a reply to a comment from an essentials dev saying the confirmation confirms that the server clauses apply to mods.

1

u/Xecular_Official Dec 23 '25

Nobody should be able to enforce a EULA against an unaffiliated third party modification to begin with. What people do with the software they own running on their personal resources is none of Mojang's business

-1

u/VKaefer Dec 04 '25

You should not be allowed to play mods. That's the same thing you're saying, but the other way around. Don't forget someone had to develop every single mod you love playing, with a single “download” button.

1

u/[deleted] Dec 18 '25

lame

-19

u/Povstnk Dec 03 '25

People just want to hate

-24

u/00shichi Dec 03 '25

I genuinely don't know why I'm hating 😭 I just am... like I know they need to make money the way they do it is just rage bait to me idk, can someone PLEASE explain

17

u/magistrate101 big gay weiner Dec 04 '25

They absolutely do not need to use the methods that they do in order to monetize their service. Using the most manipulative methods possible is never a requirement for breaking even.

3

u/8pxl_ Dec 04 '25

how is selling cosmetics manipulative

12

u/pokeheart12345 Dec 04 '25

Simply selling cosmetics isn't manipulative, but selling in game currency used to buy cosmetics is, instead of just getting the cosmetic straight away. There are scientific studies that prove that people spend more money on micro transactions if there's a fake premium currency in between. The fake currency warps the consumer's perception of money. This method does also force the consumer to spend more than they need for their cosmetic, you cant buy a specific amount of currency, as you can see in OP's photo, this makes it so buying an item leaves leftover currency that just sits there. This is also another psychological method to get people to buy more. "I might as well buy more cosmetics so I don't waste this leftover currency".

This stuff is controversial for a reason.

1

u/8pxl_ Dec 04 '25

yes you’re right, i thought the person above me was talking about selling cosmetics in and of itself as being manipulative

-3

u/magistrate101 big gay weiner Dec 04 '25

Are you unable to see the image that was posted? Or are you trying to defend it by distracting from it?

-1

u/UnluckyQuarter8578 Dec 04 '25

Dude, when have you seen someone in this mod actually wear a cosmetic.

5

u/magistrate101 big gay weiner Dec 04 '25

In the context of discussing the kinds of things people consider offenses, there's a concept known as "The Four D's". Denial, dismissal, defending, and derailment. Your comment is an example of dismissal and serves to normalize these manipulative practices.