15 years of Minecraft: The unbroken success of the block game

In 2009, Swedish developer Markus “Notch” Persson could only dream of the success of his block-building game. At that time he was still a blank slate in the gaming scene. But then he single-handedly created Minecraft. The early version with its simple game mechanics gave players full creative control: They explored a randomly generated world, mined raw materials and used them to create new tools or building materials. Despite numerous changes since its launch, Minecraft has remained true to this concept to this day.

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The unusual early access distribution contributed to the quick success. Notch initially released an unfinished pre-release version – this original version can now be played in the browser again, as the WebAssembly JVM CheerpJ 3.0 enables seamless execution of unchanged Java applications.

When Notch retired from development in 2011, he handed over creative control to Jens “Jeb” Bergensten. In 2014 he sold the rights to Microsoft for $2.5 billion. For many, Notch is now persona non grata; he has been accused of, among other things, racism, misogyny and supporting conspiracy theories. The controversial creator was therefore not even invited to the official celebration of his tenth birthday.

Unbroken popularity

However, that doesn’t detract from Minecraft’s success: in 2023, it was the first game to break the 300 million copy mark. The number of active players also continues to increase. According to Statista, there were 174 million monthly active Minecraft players in 2023. It also enjoys continued popularity on YouTube and Twitch.

But Minecraft is much more than a survival game with a world building kit, because with the help of the “Redstones” you can build virtual circuits, up to and including a complete 8-bit computer in Minecraft.

Thanks to such possibilities, Minecraft is also used in teaching, even for explaining physical quantum effects. At Didacta 2023 The start-up Reload provided a learning environment for programming, circuits and hardware design within Minecraft. The task designs need to be adapted depending on the target group. There are logic tasks that even elementary school children can do, and tasks that are aimed at trainees and students.

Minecraft movie

A Minecraft film that was announced in 2014 and various projects related to it were repeatedly stopped. Now there is an announcement for a Minecraft movie including a start date. The Minecraft film directed by Jared Hess is scheduled to be released in theaters on April 4, 2025. The film’s cast includes Jack Black, Jason Momoa, Kate McKinnon and Jennifer Coolidge. The strikes in Hollywood also contributed to delays in the film’s work. The two main actors Jack Black and Jason Momoa congratulated Minecraft on its 15th birthday on Instagram.

Offshoots and competition beaten off

After the flop “Lego Worlds” in 2015, not even Lego’s mega collaboration with the gaming multiverse Fortnite could compete with Minecraft, although “Lego Fortnite” had an estimated 2.5 million players in the first few days. Similar to Fortnite, players have to collect resources, craft and fight monsters in survival mode. The construction mode, on the other hand, offers more freedom for creativity. “Lego Fortnite” is technically impressive, but so far offers little variety in terms of gameplay. A Minecraft competitor has not yet emerged from this.

The in-house spin-offs Minecraft Dungeons and Minecraft Legends have not been able to match the success of the main game. This means that Minecraft is still at the top of the gaming world even after 15 years. We’re excited to see who manages to challenge Minecraft for the crown, when – and with what gameplay principle.

(vza)