Minecraft is the engine that can’t stop, won’t stop, as they introduce fans to huge new updates with their presentation of Minecraft Live 2021.
Minecraft Live 2021 proves that some games are meant to stick around for the long haul. Mojang Studios sees to it that every year its darling Indie-born title gets some serious upgrades with a presentation of its own.
Minecraft Live 2021 is not only a celebration of everything Minecraft, but a celebration of fans, as the title nears its 10 year anniversary. This is a huge deal for Minecraft, its fans, and gaming in general.
The Minecraft Live presentation kicked off with a bang by introducing the world to some staggering stats about how well the game has fared, although it is nearing the ripe age of 10 years old. That also didn’t stop Bethesda’s Skyrim, so why not Minecraft?
The Stats
- There are now more than 500M registered Minecraft players in China
- Minecraft saw a new peak in monthly active users this summer, with more than 140 million players in August
- Over 1 billion multiplayer hours have been logged in Minecraft so far in 2021
- Minecraft Marketplace creators have generated more than $350M to date selling mods, add-ons and other experiences
- Over two-thirds of Minecraft players customize their experiences with in-game Marketplace content on a weekly basis
Not only were these stats discussed by Mojang, but they also revealed that it remains played in EVERY SINGLE territory in the world. That is a truly herculean feat. But up next, Minecraft Live got into the exciting details that players of every country need to hear.
The Minecraft “Wild Update”
A massive update to the still insanely popular title will go live at a TBA date in 2022, however, Mojang did not skimp fans on the details. Interacting with the wilderness is going to become more immersive and varied, especially in the Overworld region that every player usually loads into when starting a new world. The update adds more in-depth mechanics and quality improvements to the existing features. Concept art for the update was also featured during this segment, showing off the exciting new Overworld updates coming to the Minecraft universe.
Key Features to the ‘Wild Update’
- There have been many new additions to the Swamp biome, which includes: frogs and frog eggs; boats with chests; and mangroves including tree regeneration, a feature of replanting propagules underwater was also made note of here.
- The Mangrove Swamp: A completely new and unique biome, with a mud-covered floor and mangroves growing.
- Renewability: The newly introduced mud blocks, which are found naturally in the Mangrove swamp, can be created from dirt and clay using mud. Using a water bottle on a dirt block turns it into mud, and putting a mud block on dripstone turns it into clay. Walking on mud causes the player to sink, as if in quick sand that doesn’t envelop the player.
The ‘Deep Dark,’ as part of the ‘Wild Update’
The previously announced Deep Dark update will coincide with the Wild Update, instead of in 2021 as planned, along with the Warden. Featuring new biomes, cities, and the hostile Warden mob.
- The Warden, as was previously announced at Minecraft Live 2020
- A new look at the skulk blocks and the skulk catalyst
- Introducing the Shrieker, who spawns in the Warden mob and will definitely be a real threat
- Chests with loot that includes special items only found in the deep dark biomes
On top of all this huge new update content, Minecraft Live 2021 was not finished yet. It kept the content rolling with more exciting announcements, including:
Caves & Cliffs: Part II
This portion of the exciting update WILL come to Minecraft later in 2021, which is a breath of fresh air for those who don’t wish to wait any longer to have new adventuring material. The segment detailed how splitting the Caves & Cliffs update into two separate parts allowed the Minecraft team to take fan feedback—and fan art—into consideration to make the update even more tailored to the community.
Caves & Cliffs: Part II launches later in 2021 where players can experience a vastly extended world height.
- Scale even bigger mountains, delve into denser caves, and mine large ore veins in a new exploration adventure.
- Discover NEW lush cave and dripstone biomes.
- Ultimately push boundaries while traversing the updated terrain.
- Light up your world with candles, then stick one in a cake to celebrate becoming a savvy spelunker and master mountaineer, and also for Portal fans to prove that the cake is indeed not a lie.
In addition to all of this goodness, Minecraft Live 2021 still had more to offer PC players. Minecraft Bedrock, and Minecraft: Java Edition is coming to the PC via GamePass with full crossplay support. GamePass PC players definitely get richer on this Minecraft adventure.
With all of these huge new features coming to Minecraft, Minecraft Live 2021 is a definite sight to behold for players of this notoriously popular game. Although nothing was seemingly announced for Minecraft: Dungeons.
Players can plan to stay excited all the way through the Holiday Season by keeping up with Minecraft on all of its updates via its website or Twitter.
