Minecraft will not become free-to-play, and a sequel is not in Mojang's plans
In a recent interview, Minecraft developer Mojang confirmed that the game will not go free-to-play because the studio "built the game for a different purpose." It also stated that it has no plans to release Minecraft 2 anytime soon.
The details:
Speaking with IGN, Minecraft's executive producer Ingela Garneij responded to the idea of a possible free-to-play release of the game, stating that the popular model "doesn't really work with the way we built it." Garneij continued by stating that Mojang has designed Minecraft "for a different purpose" and that free-to-play monetization "doesn't work in that way for us." “It's a purchase of the game, and then that's it,” the producer said. “For us, it's important that our game is available for as many people as possible. And so I think that's a very core value, that it should be accessible for everyone. It's the best deal in the world.”
In the gaming industry, more publishers are turning to free-to-play releases in order to monetize their games through seasonal battle passes and microtransactions rather than a single one-time premium purchase. While some titles have been huge successes, such as Fortnite, others have received negative feedback from fans, such as Overwatch 2, which recently announced the return of loot boxes in response to criticism of its monetization tactics.
During the same interview, Garneij was asked about the possibility of Mojang developing a sequel to Minecraft, which recently celebrated the 15th anniversary of its full 1.0 release. Unsurprisingly, the producer dismissed the idea, saying, “Do you think we're going to have an Earth 2? No, no, there's no Minecraft 2.” She explained that Mojang intends to keep the current game going for another 15 years by releasing new content updates multiple times a year, with the next one coming this week.
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