Minecraft Is Getting A New Mobile Game… Of Sorts
Depending on whether you side with IGN or Guinness World Records, Minecraft is either the best-selling or second-best-selling video game of all time. It first launched as Cave Game in 2009 before launching officially in 2011.
In 2023, it became the first game to sell 300 million copies and has gone on to reach 350 million sales. Such was its incredible level of success, Microsoft paid $2.5bn to acquire game maker Mojang Studios in 2014.
Minecraft Games
Minecraft has also seen a host of expansions, variants, and other franchised games. The Minecraft: Builders & Biomes board game is… OK. OK enough that it spawned a Junior version, in fact. And then there’s Minecraft Dungeons, Minecraft Legends, and, so far, two seasons of Minecraft Story Mode.
There’s also Minecraft Pocket Edition, which is a mobile version of the game. As you might expect from a mobile game, it has limited features compared to its fully-fledged PC and console siblings.
World maps are smaller, and there are fewer enemy mobs. Because it is built on the bedrock version of the game, there is no mod support, either. But it does let you scratch the Minecraft itch when you can’t get to a PC or console, and it still offers enjoyable gameplay.
Minecraft Pocket is almost as popular as the full version of the game, with nearly half of the game’s 350 million sales being Minecraft Pocket sales.
Minecraft Blast Mobile Game
Soon, there will be another game to add to the Minecraft stable. Mojang and King are working on the title, and the pair haven’t given any release dates or details yet.
Minecraft Blast will be a free-to-play match-3 mobile game. It will be level-based with increasingly difficult challenges and set in the Minecraft world. The game is still in the early stages of development, but the game will roll out for limited testing in Canada and Malaysia before moving on to more extensive trials.
The developers said: “Minecraft Blast is designed to appeal to both existing fans and newcomers. It offers a fun, accessible way to experience the world of Minecraft in short, casual bursts.”
King is the studio behind Candy Crush Saga. When Candy Crush Saga was released in 2012, it became a Facebook-gaming phenomenon and had more than 4 million players within its first few weeks. By 2013, the company had multi-billion-dollar annual revenue, and its 2014 IPO valued the company at just over $7bn.
In 2015, King was acquired by Activision Blizzard in a deal worth $5.9bn, and in 2023, Microsoft, which already owned Mojang, bought Activision Blizzard for around $70bn.
As well as Candy Crush Saga, the studio has developed other popular titles, including Farm Heroes Saga and Bubble Witch Saga.
Minecraft Blast is likely to adopt a similar freemium revenue model as Candy Crush Saga. Players will be able to play through the game without having to spend a penny, but in-app purchases and in-app advertising views will bring boosts and quick advancement through the levels.
