Minecraft

Minecraft
The default player skin, Steve, running across a grassy plain while carrying an Iron pickaxe. Alongside him is a tame wolf. In the background, there is a pig, a chicken, a cow, a skeleton, a zombie, and a creeper. Mountains and cliffs fill the background, and the sky is blue, filled with clouds. Hovering over the scene is the Minecraft logo.
Minecraft: Bedrock Edition box art
Developer(s)Mojang Studios[b]
Publisher(s)
Designer(s)
Artist(s)
Composer(s)
SeriesMinecraft
Engine
Platform(s)
Release
18 November 2011[a]
  • Windows, macOS, Linux
    • WW: 18 November 2011
  • Android
    • WW: 7 October 2011[1]
  • iOS
    • WW: 17 November 2011[2]
  • Xbox 360
    • WW: 9 May 2012[3]
  • Raspberry Pi
    • WW: 11 February 2013[4]
  • PlayStation 3
    • NA: 17 December 2013
    • EU: 18 December 2013
  • Fire OS
    • WW: 2 April 2014[5]
  • PlayStation 4
    • WW: 4 September 2014[6]
  • Xbox One
    • WW: 5 September 2014[7]
  • PlayStation Vita
    • NA: 14 October 2014[8]
    • EU: 15 October 2014
  • Windows Phone
    • WW: 10 December 2014[9]
  • Windows 10
    • WW: 29 July 2015[10]
  • Wii U
    • WW: 17 December 2015[11]
  • tvOS
    • WW: 19 December 2016[12]
  • Nintendo Switch
    • NA: 11 May 2017
    • PAL: 12 May 2017
  • New Nintendo 3DS
    • WW: 13 September 2017[13]
    • EU: 20 September 2018
  • ChromeOS
    • WW: 8 June 2023
Genre(s)Sandbox, survival
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Minecraft is a 2011 sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios and originally released in 2009. The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before being fully released on November 18, 2011, with Notch stepping down and Jens "Jeb" Bergensten taking over development. Minecraft has become the best-selling video game in history, with over 300 million copies sold and nearly 140 million monthly active players as of 2023. It has been ported to several platforms.

In Minecraft, players explore a blocky, pixelated procedurally generated, three-dimensional world with virtually infinite terrain. Players can discover and extract raw materials, craft tools and items, and build structures, earthworks, and machines. Depending on their chosen game mode, players can fight hostile mobs, as well as cooperate with or compete against other players in the same world. Game modes include a survival mode (in which players must acquire resources to build in the world and maintain health), creative mode (in which players have unlimited resources and the ability to fly), spectator mode (in which players can fly, go through blocks, and enter the bodies of other players and entities), adventure mode (in which players have to survive without being able to build and place blocks) and hardcore mode (in which the difficulty is set to Hard and dying causes the player to lose their ability to play on that world). The game's large community also offers a wide variety of user-generated content, such as modifications, servers, skins, texture packs, and custom maps, which add new game mechanics and possibilities.

Minecraft has received critical acclaim, winning several awards and being cited by some as one of the greatest video games ever created; social media, parodies, adaptations, merchandise, and the annual Minecon conventions played prominent roles in popularizing the game. The game has also been used in educational environments to teach chemistry, computer-aided design, and computer science. In 2014, Mojang and the Minecraft intellectual property were purchased by Microsoft for US$2.5 billion. Several spin-offs have also been made, including Minecraft: Story Mode, Minecraft Earth, Minecraft Dungeons, and Minecraft Legends. In addition, a live-action film of the same name is scheduled for a theatrical release in 2025.

  1. ^ "Minecraft–Pocket Edition–Android". IGN. Archived from the original on 16 November 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  2. ^ "Minecraft: Pocket Edition". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 23 October 2012. Retrieved 21 October 2012.
  3. ^ Brown, Mark (22 March 2012). "Minecraft for Xbox 360 release date announced, amongst others". Wired UK. Archived from the original on 18 December 2012. Retrieved 22 October 2012.
  4. ^ "Minecraft Raspberry Pi". Mojang. Archived from the original on 27 March 2013. Retrieved 27 March 2013.
  5. ^ "Amazon's first Fire TV games include in-house titles and Minecraft (update: video)". Engadget. Retrieved 25 September 2018.
  6. ^ Pitcher, Jenna (3 September 2014). "Minecraft PS4 Edition Release Date Confirmed". IGN. IGN Entertainment, Inc. Archived from the original on 1 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  7. ^ "Minecraft for Xbox One to launch on Friday". CNET. Archived from the original on 7 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  8. ^ "Minecraft: PS Vita Edition Release Date Revealed for North America". IGN. 10 October 2014. Archived from the original on 12 October 2014. Retrieved 13 October 2014.
  9. ^ "Minecraft Comes to Windows Phones". Mojang. 17 July 2019. Archived from the original on 30 December 2014.
  10. ^ "Announcing Minecraft Windows 10 Edition Beta". Archived from the original on 9 July 2015.
  11. ^ Makuch, Eddie (7 December 2015). "Minecraft Wii U Confirmed, Coming Very Soon". GameSpot. CBS Interactive. Archived from the original on 7 December 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  12. ^ Jones, Owen (19 December 2016). "minecraft.net – Apple TV Edition released!". Archived from the original on 27 December 2016. Retrieved 30 December 2016.
  13. ^ Pereira, Chris (13 September 2017). "New 3DS Version Of Minecraft Announced, Release Date Set For Today". GameSpot. Retrieved 13 September 2017.
  14. ^ Persson, Markus (17 May 2009). "Minecraft 0.0.11a for public consumption". The Word of Notch. Archived from the original on 16 July 2015. Retrieved 1 April 2018 – via Tumblr.
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference PC release date was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Harper, Gavin (23 December 2021). "Minecraft: Gaming 'phenomenon' developed in Dundee passes 1 trillion YouTube views". The Courier. Dundee, Scotland, UK. Retrieved 29 August 2022.


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