Depending on the use case, you don't need to store the entire implementation of the item on chain, just a reference to it. All the implementation could still be stored game-side. You could also apply nerfs/buffs over the top of an item at runtime.
> What if they release an in-game item that turns out to be completely over-powered and want to change or remove it?
I'm not sure how/if real "crypto games" do it, but it wouldn't be impossible to have a list of "invalid" items the smart contract references that can't be used unless you use a second contract the developer set up to exchange them for the nerfed version. And I guess that could enable community-created formats with their own banlists (if the game is actually decentralized enough for that to be possible).
But then we've had to do a lot of extra work for a messy version of what we can already do with a normal database!
How does the game developer benefit from outsourcing their inventory management system like that?
What if they release an in-game item that turns out to be completely over-powered and want to change or remove it?
(Amusingly enough the original inspiration for Ethereum was that Vitalik Buterin hated that his warlock got nerfed: https://www.polygon.com/22709126/ethereum-creator-world-of-w... )