Minecraft Earth was an augmented reality sandbox mobile game developed by Mojang Studios and based on Minecraft, where players could build structures and collect materials by travelling to real world locations. It was made available as a free-to-play game on Android and iOS smartphones. The game received its final update in January 2021 and was officially shut down on June 30, 2021.[1][2]
Development[ | ]
During Microsoft Build 2015, the Microsoft HoloLens team unveiled an AR version of Minecraft.[3] On May 8, 2019, a trailer showcasing some AR mods in Minecraft Earth was released, and the game was officially announced on May 17, 2019.
Release[ | ]
On July 16, 2019, the iOS closed beta for the game was released firstly in Seattle and London,[4] then in Stockholm, Tokyo, and Mexico City over the next two days.[5] Android users in these cities were granted access to the closed beta on August 30, 2019.
The game was released for early access in New Zealand and Iceland on October 17, 2019.[6] On October 29, Australia, Mexico, and Sweden received early access,[7] followed by a release in Canada, the Philippines, and South Korea on October 31;[8] a release in the United Kingdom on November 5[9]; and a United States release a week later on November 12.[10] It was released in Japan, Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, and Switzerland on November 19, 2019;[11] and it was released in India on November 21, 2019.[12]
On December 11, 2019, Minecraft Earth was officially launched worldwide.[13]
On January 5, 2021, developer Mojang Studios announced that they were releasing the final build of Minecraft Earth, citing the COVID-19 pandemic as a factor. Support for the game ended on June 30, 2021.[1]
References[ | ]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Minecraft.net Staff (5 January 2021). Minecraft Earth coming to an end. Retrieved on 29 October 2021
- ↑ Kumparak, Greg (5 January 2021). Minecraft Earth will shut down in June. TechCrunch. Retrieved on 29 October 2021
- ↑ https://www.theverge.com/2015/6/17/8794971/microsoft-hololens-minecraft-project-xray-hands-on-e3-2015
- ↑ https://twitter.com/minecraftearth/status/1151178424641306624
- ↑ https://www.theverge.com/2019/8/30/20840431/minecraft-earth-android-beta-closed-launch-seattle-london-tokyo-stockholm-mexico-city
- ↑ https://minecraft.net/en-us/article/minecraft-earth-early-access
- ↑ https://twitter.com/minecraftearth/status/1189248095990812676
- ↑ https://twitter.com/minecraftearth/status/1190026810672762881
- ↑ https://twitter.com/minecraftearth/status/1191780341574447106
- ↑ https://twitter.com/minecraftearth/status/1194291266713980928
- ↑ https://twitter.com/minecraftearth/status/1196880828216664064
- ↑ https://twitter.com/minecraftearth/status/1197605601515360258
- ↑ https://twitter.com/minecraftearth/status/1204868538412019718