It seems the pandemic has claimed another victim in the video game industry. Just today Microsoft announced that it will discontinue all support for Minecraft Earth later this year on June 30 due to the “current global situation“. Afterward, on July 1, any player data unrelated to Character Creator and Minecoin will also be deleted. Therefore after that date, you will be unable to either download or play Minecraft Earth on your device anymore. Microsoft had this to say in the announcement:
With that said though, the team is still releasing one last update for existing Minecraft Earth fans and players. Starting today, the game is going to remove real-money transactions, reduce ruby costs, reducing the time needed for crafting and smelting, as well as replacing unused crafting and smelting boosts with radius boosts of the same level. And that’s not all. To compensate for the server shut down, all players who sign in between January 5 and June 30 will be given a set of Character Creator items, anyone who’ve paid ruby balances will be granted Minecoins, and a free copy of Minecraft Bedrock if you’ve ever made an in-game purchase.
Minecraft Earth is developed by Microsoft, having made its debut on iOS and Android on October 17, 2019, as an early access title for Iceland and New Zealand. Later it was released globally on December 11, 2019. As a social, augmented reality title, the game works almost similar to how Pokemon GO functions. Using your phone camera and GPS you’re able to transform the floor of your house into diamonds or iron cubes and tapping the tree around your neighborhood could give you wood blocks. Funny enough, Pokemon GO managed to successfully adapt to the current issue and is still going strong to this day with $1 billion revenue in 2020.
There are still six months left to enjoy and say goodbye to the game with your friends. Just don’t forget to follow the pandemic safety protocol while you play in the outdoors. Stay tuned to The Nerd Stash for more Minecraft and Microsoft-related gaming news.
