Since its launch in 2011, the open-world survival sandbox game Minecraft has seen immense success. This is in part due to the fact that the game is consistently being updated with new biomes, mobs, and tools in order to keep everything feeling fresh, though these updates are not always what the player base wants.
In addition to the original Minecraft, Mojang has released spin-offs like Minecraft Story Mode and Minecraft Dungeons, a point-and-click dungeon crawler with a story campaign that received mixed reviews. Following the confirmation of another game, Minecraft Legends, that is set to join the growing franchise in 2023, some fans are wondering if the developer should be focusing more of its attention on creating more in-game modes for the original game rather than spin-offs.
Mojang Should Step Out of its Comfort Zone
While it's true that a great deal of Minecraft's charm is in its simplicity, some people believe that if Mojang wishes to retain its players or usher in new ones, it must be willing to make changes and adapt to the new gaming world. A few players have expressed their opinions that it seems Mojang is only interested in pushing out scheduled updates that don't truly bring anything new to the game other than cosmetic value.
At the moment, players seem to be growing stronger without any real challenges to face, as any additional Minecraft mobs may feel like re-skinned versions of previous ones, and others are simply meant to be aesthetically cute. Most new additions assist players who love to build, but don't really serve any other purpose.
Mojang seems to know exactly what it is that makes Minecraft a great game, but may be too reluctant to take any genuine risks that could alienate active players. In circumstances like Fortnite, the Battle Royale understood exactly how to bring more interest to the game by including crossover skins, a Zero Build mode, and countless other options. While Minecraft adding Darth Vader, helicopters, or cars feels could feel inherently wrong for some, the developer should still consider taking a page out of Epic Games' book in becoming more versatile.
Minecraft Needs New Modes
Spin-offs like Minecraft Dungeons or Minecraft Legends don't necessarily need to be halted, but Mojang should realize that its first game needs more attention than it's getting. Imagination and creative freedom from its users have managed to take the company this far, but some of its players are getting restless in a way that installing mods may not fully satisfy. This issue could be easily solved by adding quality in-game options with more RPG-like elements or even borrowing from popular community mods.
For those that want Minecraft to stay true to its roots, Mojang could still keep a classic mode that contains the option to play the game as it currently stands. It could be truly engaging if Minecraft decided to dig deeper into its own lore, which is presumably quite vast but over a decade after the game's release still feels largely unexplored. There already exists a Lore Expansion mod from two talented fans, but there haven't been any updates in over a year. Also, anything written by fans is clearly not canonical.
Alternatively, Minecraft could take on a similar approach to Terraria's RPG elements, though it should offer this in select in-game modes. Spin-off titles aren't necessarily a problem, but Mojang needs to focus on more than just adding new biomes and cosmetic additions that don't really add anything new. Perhaps after the 1.20 update this November, Mojang will announce new modes for its faithful player base.
Minecraft is available now on PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.