Minecraft Live: The Recap

Yes, yes. It’s happening. All of you proved once and for all that enough commenting, pleading, and campaigning will get you anything. As long as that thing is an update specifically to the cave and mountain systems in a game made of blocks. The Caves & Cliffs Update as it is now officially named comes with improved cave generation and features things like lush caves and dripstone caves. There will also be a brand new archeology system, which adds a very cool sense of history and storytelling element to the game. You’re digging now, but soon you’re going to be excavating. 

Something has to populate these caverns, so we also threw in crystals, telescopes, bundles, the sculk sensor block and a new hostile mob – the warden! Does Minecraft really need more hostile mobs? Isn’t it enough that the llamas spit at you? 

The cliff in Caves & Cliffs means that the Mountain Update that you voted for last year will be included in this one. We got a first look at the mountain goat that will populate these peaks, and I like it even though I think it resembles me a little too much. I’m not saying a certain Dutch pixel artist did this on purpose, but if he did then he got his revenge. You win this round, Boerstra.

The Caves & Cliffs Update also brings you copper! What’s so cool about copper that it gets its own paragraph? Besides being old-timey slang for officers of the law (unless you are British, in which case it is now-timey), copper will add an aging element to the game. No, it does not wrinkle and since we’re on the subject, neither do I. Over time however, your copper builds will start to turn green. So if you’ve been playing Minecraft for a long time, you’re finally getting the cold, hard evidence you deserve and no longer have to rely on insisting that you’re not lying. 

What else, what else? I feel like I’m forgetting something… oh yeah! This update brings a new contender for cutest mob, the axolotl! Look at it! It comes in a bucket! A BUCKET!

How am I supposed to concentrate on all the other announcements now? They better be good, or I’m going to abandon all of you by throwing myself into a bucket of axolotls. 

Minecraft Dungeons

My darling Arch-Illager’s playground will get a major update in November when we add a free update for cross-play! Does this mean that the game will turn into a very advanced version of tic-tac-toe? No! For some reason the developers thought you should be able to play with your friends regardless of platform instead. If the Dungeons team spent a little less time socializing and a lot more time answering the notes I shove under their locked door we could all be playing a boring version of bingo right now on our respective devices. But to each their own.

As if reading this summary wasn’t enough, I am here to promote even more text-based pastimes! Max Brooks takes us away in his upcoming novel The Mountain, the sequel to his bestseller The Island. This is a tale of survival, adventure, and most importantly no mountains. Don’t let the title deceive you, there isn’t so much as a molehill. Was I given a false copy of the book so I wouldn’t reveal any spoilers? Probably. It might be best that you read the book for yourself when it comes out in March 2021! 

Minecraft: Education Edition

Since we’re already talking about books, let’s take a look at Minecraft: Education Edition. In the early days of Covid-19, when most places were under lockdown, we made Education Edition free for educators and released free content from it for everyone on Marketplace. We’re going to be adding a new free map releasing soon in both Minecraft: Education Edition and Marketplace based on the teachings of US Congressman John Lewis. The map is called "Good Trouble: Social Justice Movements Around the World" and is just the beginning, more lessons in a new equity & inclusion category will be added this fall.

Now it’s time for the Minecraft Education Global Build Championship, our very first international design competition! This is the first time that we’re challenging students from around the world to design and build a space that promotes a healthy environment for people and animals alike! I wanted to make a flippant joke about this but it sounds really lovely so I’m going to make up for it in the next segment, OK? Students can go here to check if they have access to Minecraft: Education Edition, which is where all submissions will be built. Educators, parents, and gaurdians can register their students in teams of 1-3 at aka.ms/MinecraftEducationChampionship for a certificate of completion and the chance to win Minecraft prizes! 

Jeb! Jeb! Jeb!

Obviously, the only one who could follow all of that is rap genius and occasional game designer Jeb. He divulged a lot of information in an intimate tête-à-tête during the show, including a pitch for his own book. I am assuming that this opens up the playing field for all of us, so look out for my upcoming epic What’s Mine is Craft: How I Got Hired and Fired For Writing Terrible Jokes. 

Jeb also got into the nitty-gritty of Minecraft’s combat mechanics. This was news to me as I had not realized that there was combat in the game at all. You can actually fight back? After I got over this initial shock, I was able to pick up something about there being a difference between Java and Bedrock and a cookie jar? Somebody get this man a snack.

It wasn’t all combat and cookies, Lydia and Jeb also shared some of the cool stuff that Minecraft brings to the real world. Block by Block is a collaboration with UN Habitat that allows community members to redesign their neighborhoods in Minecraft. Take a look at this video that shows you what a few areas in Kosovo looked like before and after their amazing community gave it an upgrade!

Last but not least, Jens also revealed a little piece of delightful news. Alex, Steve, and a whole mess of mobs will finally prove to the world that just because you’re made of blocks, you’re no square. That’s right, Minecraft is coming to Super Smash Bros. Ultimate! Some would say that this is… smashing? Too much? Especially after the copper line that I insisted on earlier? I’m officially banned from attempting a British accent now? That’s fair. 

Creator Tech and Minecraft Marketplace

There is a lot of exciting stuff happening over at the Marketplace. Not only is Terra Swoop Force coming soon, but there are also new custom items, blocks and a batch of tools specifically for creators! During the live event we saw how this affects gameplay in RPG and parkour maps, which was pretty parcool. I will not apologize for that, let’s just move on.

Since this is a summary full of reveals, I am going to include one of my own! For most of the year, everyone at Mojang Studios has been and still are working from home. Joel, our Office Manager and angel that we don’t deserve, has helped keep us connected in different ways but one of them was by sending all of us tomato plant starter kits. Those of us who didn’t kill theirs on day one by being too good at gardening have shared pictures of their plants’ progress so you can only imagine the collective gasp when the live show featured tomato monsters. Was this foreshadowing? Or simply coincidence? Only time will tell. 

Mob Vote Result!

You were given the opportunity to vote for the next mob that we add to Minecraft! Again! Because apparently, nobody learned their lesson after the Phantom! In a very exciting Twitter poll, three mobs contested for your vote. Did you pick the precious Moobloom, the cold-handed Iceologer, or the shiny shiny Glow Squid?

Without further ado, let me reveal the winner!

Ta-da! It’s the Glow Squid! I knew you weren’t satisfied with the game’s proportion of squid to non-squid mobs. Who could blame you? They’ve got tentacles, ink, and eyes that you can get lost in for hours on end. And now some of them glow? Who knows what they could get up to while you gaze at them. Anything, really. 

That about wraps up this recap. If you want to relive Minecraft Live over and over again, either scroll back up to the top of this page or watch the entire show here! I’m late for my daily meeting with my squid overlord regular human boss.