Minecraft (universe): Difference between revisions

Coded in the {{iw|wikipedia|Java|programming language}} programming language, a pre-alpha version of ''Minecraft'' was publicly released on May 17, 2009. The game's great popularity allowed Notch to work on it full-time, updating it based on feedback. To facilitate this, he founded a video game company, [[Mojang Studios|Mojang Specifications]] (eventually renamed to "Mojang AB" and later "Mojang Studios"). ''Minecraft'' entered beta testing on December 20, 2010, then was officially released on November 18, 2011. Later, on December 1, Notch stepped down from his position as lead designer, leaving programmer and designer {{s|wikipedia|Jens Bergensten}} to take his place. In 2014, [[Microsoft]] purchased Mojang for US$2.5 billion, thus acquiring the ''Minecraft'' intellectual property; Notch soon left Mojang, and the company eventually cut all ties from him due to becoming a controversial figure in recent years.

''Minecraft'' is an open-world sandbox game about survival and creativity, with a block-based world and blocky characters. Worlds are generated pseudo-randomly based on seeds (integer sequences), allowing players to have a different experience for each playthrough, while specific worlds can be recreated and revisited by saving their seeds. Worlds may come with different biomes, affecting the types of scenery and mobs the player may see, and also come with different dimensions to explore (three by default: the Overworld, the Nether, and the End). The player takes on the default appearance of a generic character named [[Steve]] or Alex, but can be customized to the player's liking using custom-made textures, known as "skins." As the name implies, the primary gameplay mechanics of ''Minecraft'' are mining (digging up blocks to obtain materials) and crafting (using said materials to create new objects, such as weapons or armor). The game also allows players to play online with other people through custom servers, or on ''Minecraft Realms'' (a subscription-based private server service). Online play is a notable and popular part of ''Minecraft'', and because of this, the game is continually updated and re-released with new features.

''Minecraft'' has grown to be the single best selling video game of all time, with over 238,000,000 copies sold as of 2021. This beats the previous best selling single video game ''{{s|wikipedia|Grand Theft Auto V}}'' at 160,000,000 copies, as well as all paid versions of {{uvm3|Tetris}} at roughly 200,000,000 copies. ''Minecraft'' is also a juggernaut in terms of merchandise, with popular items being apparel, toys, plushes, and other novelty items.

''Minecraft'' has also spawned spinoff titles: adventure game ''{{s|wikipedia|Minecraft: Story Mode}}'' (co-developed by the now-defunct Telltale Games), augmented-reality mobile game ''{{s|wikipedia|Minecraft Earth}}'' (which ended its services on June 30th, 2021 due to restrictions on outdoor activities as a result of the [[COVID-19]] pandemic<ref>{{cite web |url=https://twitter.com/Minecraft/status/1346502225720467457 |title=Minecraft on Twitter |quote=After many great adventures, we’ve made the difficult decision to close down Minecraft Earth in June 2021. We’re so grateful for all your support, and today’s last build includes several adjustments to make these last months as fun as possible. |date=January 5, 2021 |accessdate=January 5, 2021 |author=@Minecraft }}</ref>), and action RPG/dungeon crawler ''{{s|wikipedia|Minecraft Dungeons}}'' (co-developed by Double Eleven). Additionally, ''Minecraft'' has found success as a learning tool through ''{{s|wikipedia|Minecraft: Education Edition}}'', a specialized branch of the main game.