By
Bena Ilyas
May 13th, 2024
The team noted that anyone who has ever made any purchase in Minecraft Earth would get a free copy of the Minecraft Bedrock version.
Microsoft Corporation (NASDAQ: MSFT) has announced plans to shut down its augmented reality sandbox game Minecraft Earth on the 30th of June. In the official announcement, the Minecraft Earth team revealed that the game may not survive with the ongoing global health crisis. As stated in the announcement, the video game was designed around free movement and collaborative play which are near impossibilities as the pandemic persists.
Microsoft to Close the Minecraft Earth Project
In 2019, a TechCrunch report revealed that Minecraft Earth went live in the US and available on iOS and Android. The report further said the augmented reality sandbox game was available in some other countries apart from the US. The other countries include the UK, Canada, South Korea, the Philippines, Sweden, Mexico, Australia, New Zealand, and Iceland.
Now, Minecraft Earth is shutting down and would delete all player data. Stating that Minecraft Earth’s survival is nearly impossible in the current global situation, the team revealed the decision to invest their resources into other areas that the Minecraft community could benefit from.
In the announcement, the Minecraft team said:
“On June 30, we will discontinue all content and service support for the game. This means that we will stop all development, and after that date, you will be unable to download or play Minecraft Earth anymore. On July 1, we will delete any Minecraft Earth player data unrelated to Character Creator and Minecoin entitlements.”
Despite plans to shut down the game in a few months, the team said in the announcement that there would be a final update on the augmented reality game. Starting with the update scheduled for the 5th of January, Minecraft would stop all real money transactions. Also the team would significantly reduce ruby costs and time required to craft and smelt while playing the game. Additionally, Minecraft said there would be a set of Character Creator items available for players who sign in between the 5th of January and the time of the permanent shut down on the 30th of June.
This will be our last update, so we made it a good one! Please enjoy and thank you for being a part of the community!
🏆 Introducing the Super Season
🎩 New Character Creator items
⏱️ Reduced time for crafting & smelting
🐑🐄🐖🐇🐓 So many new mobs↣ https://t.co/OBpzUcz2Ck ↢ pic.twitter.com/Dnl9R9HQLP
— Minecraft Earth (@minecraftearth) January 5, 2021
MSFT Stock Doesn’t Show Strong Reaction
Furthermore, the team noted in the announcement that anyone who has ever made any purchase in Minecraft Earth would get a free copy of the Minecraft Bedrock version. Also, customers who have also spent money on Minecraft’s ruby premium currency would receive Minecoins. The players can then use the Minecoins purchase specific items on the Minecraft Marketplace.
Appreciating players and creators for their contributions and reviews, Minecraft noted:
“This was not an easy decision, and we’re doing everything we can to make sure you get the most out of Mineral Earth before it sunsets.”
At press time, Microsoft is at after-hours trading of $217.57, a 0.15% loss over its previous close of $217.90. In its year-to-date record, MSFT has lost over 2% and down 1.71% in the last five days. However, the company has gained more than 36% over the past year, 3.85% in the last three months. Microsoft has also declined by nearly 3% over the past month.