Every decade or so a game comes around that captures the imagination of the world and changes how we think about video games. It’s highly unlikely that the creator, Markus “Notch” Persson, could have ever expected the response that Minecraft received.
This title was and still is a massive presence in the world of gaming and pop culture.
When Minecraft was released to the world in mid-2009 it gathered steam quickly and never looked back. However, the game has changed considerably from the state in which it was originally released. These are the 10 major events in the life of Minecraft that built the game as we know it today.
May 17, 2009: Hello World: Minecraft Launches
There was a whole lead up of development with something called Cave Game. It all led to the smash hit that we know today as Minecraft.
Back in May of 2009, the first iteration of Minecraft had a major game-breaking bug in it. That’s hardly the ideal launch for a new game. However, just four minutes later, Persson released an update that fixed the major bug.
Technically, the game was still in a very early pre-retail state at this point.
The limited tools and blocks didn’t stop people from flocking to this new game. A free release is always enticing, and the dawn of social media certainly helped Minecraft spread across the Internet. Speaking of which, Minecraft Classic was recently re-released as a free browser game.
You can now experience all the fun of the old game at any time.
June 13, 2009: Commercial Pre-Orders and Mojang is “Born”
Just under one month later, Persson started taking pre-orders for the full PC version of Minecraft. It was still fully available to play for free following the start of pre-orders.
Thanks to the amount of money made from the pre-orders, Persson was able to cut down hours at his other job. This let him contribute more time to the development of Minecraft. Without the initial positive response, it’s entirely possible that most people never would have heard about Minecraft.
This was also the first time that the company name Mojang became associated with Minecraft. The named had been used before by Persson in the development of other games, but never before with his latest title.
Aug 31, 2010: First MinecraftCon (now MineCon)
This first convention of Minecraft fans was more of a casual meetup of just over 30 people. The true MineCon has grown into something much larger and is the birthplace of multiple memes, including dedotated wam.
Even though this wasn’t an officially sanctioned convention, it marked the first time that a large group of Minecraft fans came together to discuss their passion. Persson even made an appearance which further solidified this event as the true first Minecraft convention.
Creating a successful game is a wonderful thing. Seeing a game’s fans build a welcoming and engaged community is possibly even better.
Dec 20, 2010: Beta Version Release
We’re getting so close to the big time now. As Minecraft entered the beta stage, it was already big among gamers. The next step was to take the rest of the world by storm.
One of the biggest additions to the beta was creative mode. This mode was all about building impressive structures. With nearly unlimited building resources you could create massive buildings, detailed pixel art, or whatever else you could think of.
Minecraft still wasn’t quite on the radar of the rest of the world, but it was getting there. It’s the next step that finally got it to worldwide phenomenon status.
Nov 18, 2011: Full PC Release
After over two and a half years of development, Minecraft 1.0.0 finally released to the world.
The full release saw the introduction of the biome known as The End. This endgame map featured the now infamous Ender Dragon among other powerful enemies. This was their answer to the question: how do you beat Minecraft? Of course, the game never truly ends.
Minecraft had already exceeded the 10 million players milestone by this time. The game had grown exponentially since its humble beginnings back in 2009 and there were no signs of a slowdown. The next step was to get Minecraft on additional platforms.
Fall 2011: Minecraft Mods!
It’s hard to say exactly when the first Minecraft mod was created. The first mods for the full version started to show up shortly after the full PC release.
Google likes to say that Buildcraft is the first mod, but there’s no definitive way to determine if that’s true. What we know for sure is that this spawned the beginning of one of the biggest modding communities in gaming. Over seven years later, hundreds of Minecraft mods are still being released each month.
It makes sense that a game about building has one of the most active modding communities of all time. People who love to build are naturally inclined to tinker as well.
Fall 2011: Full Android and iOS Releases
Business was booming for Mojang in late 2011. The icing on the top was the release to iOS and Android. There were a few limited mobile releases before this, but the vast majority of high-end Android and iOS devices could play some version of the game at this point.
The PC market for a game like Minecraft was ridiculously wide. However, smartphones and mobile gaming were on the rise. Getting Minecraft working on mobile devices so early on was incredibly smart. At this time mobile gamers were used to match three games and Temple Run.
Even though this wasn’t the full digging, chopping, and building experience as the PC game, the visibility of being on mobile helped bring Minecraft into the mainstream.
May 9, 2012: First Console Release
Minecraft would eventually come to every major console and handheld but first was the Xbox 360. This was the start of Mojang’s relationship with tech behemoth, Microsoft.
The 360 was in its twilight years. There was no shortage of quality games on the console physically or in the Xbox Live Arcade. However, 360 owners gobbled down Minecraft to the tune of more than 10 million copies sold over two years.
Minecraft is on everything at this point. PC, consoles, mobile, VR, if it plays games then you can probably play Minecraft on it. The versatility of this game is a testament to the timeless nature of its look and gameplay.
The only platforms lacking any form of the game are smart speakers — step it up, Alexa.
Sep 15, 2014: Microsoft Buys Mojang for $2.5 billion
At the time, Microsoft’s purchase of Mojang was the largest video game acquisition of all time. Mojang was already wildly successful, but it was still a no-brainer to accept such a lucrative offer.
Since selling Mojang, Persson has become infamous for sharing a handful of unsavory political opinions on Twitter. Microsoft has slowly but surely backed away from any association with him over the years.
Most recently, all mentions of “Notch” have been removed from the game save for the game’s credits.
Despite the unfortunate opinions of Persson, Minecraft has thrived under Microsoft. It continues to sell incredibly well and has even been able to branch out into new gaming styles like VR and AR.
Late 2018: Minecraft Becomes Second Best-Selling Game of All Time
Nobody could have predicted this one. The most recent Minecraft sales number is an astronomical 154 million. That puts it right below Tetris on the all-time best sellers list.
It’s hard to put your finger on one reason why Minecraft became a mega-hit. It’s just the perfect combination of endless creativity and a welcoming community.
It’s easy to see how someone could put in thousands of hours into the game whether they’re building, modding, or just messing around with friends. What also has helped it continue to sell through the years is the fact that it’s so kid-friendly while being surprisingly inexpensive.
There’s no telling if Minecraft will someday pass Tetris, but 10 years later it’s still on a great path. Even if Minecraft never reaches number one, this title has solidified its spot as one of the most important video games of all time.
Source for dates: Minecraft Gamepedia
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