Augmented reality mobile game Minecraft Earth is shutting down in June, developer Mojang Studios announced this morning.
“Minecraft Earth was designed around free movement and collaborative play–two things that have become near impossible in the current global situation,” the official announcement reads. “As a result, we have made the difficult decision to re-allocate our resources to other areas that provide value to the Minecraft community and to end support for Minecraft Earth in June 2021.”
As a game based around exploring the world, it seems Minecraft Earth didn’t fare well during the ongoing covid-19 pandemic, which has kept potential players from going out in public. Still, the game won’tbe going gentle into that good night. A new update, dropping today, will remove real-money transactions and make the game easier to play while staying safe indoors. Also, everyone who signs into Minecraft Earth between now and June 30 will get a free set of character creator items.
After June 30, players will no longer be able to download or play Minecraft Earth. Mojang has promised to provide everyone who made real-money purchases with a free copy of Minecraft as its way of saying thanks.
“We’re eternally grateful for the amazing talent in the Minecraft community,” the official statement concludes. “This was not an easy decision, and we’re doing everything we can to make sure you get the most out of Minecraft Earth before it sunsets.”