Mojang has scrapped a fair few Minecraft mobs in its day, including a variety of humanoids that preceded the modern villagers and a zombie-like giant mob that roamed the overworld. Today, there probably isn't any place for the humanoids in the game anymore; villagers successfully play the part of humans in the overworld, and many of Mojang's past ideas like Pigmen have since been adapted into different mobs. The giant, however, may not be stranded in the past. Minecraft may still have a place for this oversized zombie as a new boss that could be found in the overworld, just like before.
Minecraft has a curious relationship with boss mobs. The Ender Dragon has been a major objective for many years, while the Wither provides fans with a more obscure, explosive challenge, but Mojang hasn't expanded the list of Minecraft boss mobs much beyond them. The Warden is the closest thing in some time, but fans aren't meant to fight this Deep Dark guardian. In order to give overworld adventurers a new challenge that doesn't require a journey to the Nether or the End, Mojang could consider reworking the old giant concept into a creature that can be battled -- or outwitted -- while exploring the world map.
How Minecraft Could Incorporate Giants
Although giants are well-known for their oversized Minecraft zombie model, Mojang would probably need to start by reworking the mob's visuals if it wanted to add giants to the overworld. While it worked for the time, a scaled-up zombie isn't a particularly creative approach to a giant. Instead, Mojang might look into classical depictions of giants, making them look more humanoid, possibly even resembling villagers or pillagers. A towering new mob with a bit of Norse flair might be a great way to mix up some of Minecraft's biomes, especially if the giants gain special abilities based on the biome where they're situated, like a frost giant in a tundra that slows players down.
Giants would also be a great chance to introduce a new structure to the game. An overworld boss mob would ideally stay in one place so that players know where to find it, rather than wandering around, so reinventing giants could let Mojang introduce a new giant fortress or camp that players can explore. A giant-themed structure could also present a great new stealth challenge for the overworld; players could sneak through a giant fortress looking for Minecraft loot items and avoiding a boss battle, or they could just approach the giant head-on.
Giants could also allow Mojang to invent some worthy new loot. For instance, giants might drop weapons with exclusive Minecraft enchantments that can't be obtained from villagers or enchanting tables, possibly themed after the giant's home biome. Giants could also provide a new material for players to work with, like a weaker alternative to Netherite that modifies iron armor instead of diamond armor. The overworld may already have its share of generated structures with exclusive items, but a boss-focused structure would be something new for Minecraft.
All in all, it's clear that Mojang could get a lot out of a new adaptation of this unused Minecraft mob. It would be a great challenge for singleplayer and multiplayer worlds alike, offering fans a warm-up boss to battle before hunting down the Ender Dragon or summoning the Wither. Mojang hasn't indicated that reworking giants is a priority, but perhaps giants can find a place in one of the future updates anyhow. The studio has promised a lot of updates having to do with longstanding content, like reworks of Minecraft's oldest biomes, so maybe it'll look into some of the game's more obscure past features too. If Mojang is willing to put in the legwork, it could really profit from giants in Minecraft.
Minecraft is available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.