The end is nigh, it seems, as Minecraft’s experiment with a mixed reality block building game is coming to a close.
Well that didn’t take long, and the pandemic might be to blame. Thanks, coronavirus.
Minecraft’s take on the augmented reality gaming craze is coming to an end in Australia, and indeed the rest of the world, in the space of a little under two years locally.
Launched back in November 2019 in Australia before the world changed and many were encouraged to stay at home, Minecraft Earth was essentially Pokémon Go set in the world of Minecraft, encouraging kids and gamers alike (why not be both) to take phones and tablets out and about and build the world of Minecraft in the real world, not just the one found in classrooms, and on computers and consoles, too.
Think of it as Minecraft AR, but one that requires people to leave the home, something that poses a problem in a world where people are being discouraged to do just that.
With that in mind, Minecraft is ending its augmented reality game at the end of June this year, rolling out an update to let people play indoor with unreleased content it was working on, reducing the time needed to make things in the game, and providing people who bought things inside the game some online money that can be used on the Minecraft Marketplace for regular gamers, complete with a free copy of Minecraft.
According to Minecraft’s post on the closure, gamers will have until June 30 to keep playing Minecraft Earth, after which they won’t be able to download the title or play it anymore. If that’s you, get all the time you want in now, because you only have until the middle of the year.
