Minecraft Earth, the mobile augmented reality game that made its debut in Fall 2019, will be retired in June 2021, developer Mojang announced today. Microsoft acquired Mojang back in 2014. As the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is still forcing many of us to stay home, going outside to play Minecraft Earth has become difficult and Mojang decided it was time to use its resources on more valuable projects.
“Minecraft Earth was designed around free movement and collaborative play – two things that have become near impossible in the current global situation. As a result, we have made the difficult decision to re-allocate our resources to other areas that provide value to the Minecraft community and to end support for Minecraft Earth in June 2021,” the team explained today.
Minecraft Earth will be closing down in June 2021. Please read our full message below for details. We appreciate all the support from the community!
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— Minecraft Earth (@minecraftearth) January 5, 2021
The game is getting a last update today bringing new content while removing all in-game purchases with real money. Minecraft Earth will remain playable until June 30, 2021, before disappearing from the iOS and Android app stores the next day. To sweeten the pot, Mojang will compensate players who still have rubies, the Minecraft Earth in-game currency with Minecoins to use in the Minecraft marketplace. Additionally, all players who spent real money in the game will get a token to download the regular Minecraft game on their mobile platform.
Despite some early buzz, Minecraft Earth never got the same level of momentum as Pokemon Go did before it. The regular Minecraft game, despite not being free-to-play like Minecraft Earth, remains Mojang’s real cash cow and a game that remains massively popular on all platforms where it’s available.
“We’re eternally grateful for the amazing talent in the Minecraft community. This was not an easy decision, and we’re doing everything we can to make sure you get the most out of Minecraft Earth before it sunsets,” Mojang said today.
