Mojang's sandbox building game Minecraft has been used for some huge and important projects in the past, such as hosting a library of censored articles for oppressed countries. It has also been a place for people to gather and have fun together in the midst of widespread social distancing measures enacted due to the coronavirus pandemic, with one of the biggest examples of that potential being the Rave Family Block Fest, a music festival advertised as hosting 950 artists over four days across 65 digital stages that was postponed today.
Rave Family Block Fest is accessible through Minecraft on Java and Bedrock editions, and costs a baseline $10 cover charge to access all main festival areas and artist stages, with additional options for a $15 VIP add-on to get secret sets, custom character skins, and special servers with additional experiences; as well as a $5 "early arrival" charge. Ticket sales will be going to causes that support "social justice and equality in music and the world," such as The Bail Project and the Bye Bye Plastic Foundation.
The event, which has no official connection to Mojang unlike this year's in-game graduation for U.C. Berkeley, was originally set to happen in June. It was delayed until this weekend, July 9 to July 13, according to Billboard. However, the organizers announced over Instagram that things were not going as "smoothly as we hoped" yesterday, and earlier today decided to postpone the event until an uncertain date, offering refunds to those who want them within 48 hours. All of the servers will remain open for concertgoers to explore.
Though the sheer number of artists promised by this festival is impressive, Minecraft is not the only digital gaming venue that has been used for concerts in recent months. Earlier this year, Fortnite held a Travis Scott concert that broke the game's concurrent player record.
Minecraft has seen a relatively big boost in attention, however, in part thanks to its continual large-scale updates. The game's recent Nether Update added new biomes, mobs, Netherite, and much more that expands both what casual players are able to do and adds plenty of new blocks and other mechanics for those who use the game to build impressive feats, such as concert stages.
Its popularity has also opened the door for an action RPG spin-off, Minecraft Dungeons, that launched earlier this year. That title has already been massively successful for Mojang, and earlier this week received its first DLC Expansion.
Minecraft is available for PC, PS4, Switch, Xbox One, and various legacy devices.
Sources: Rave Family Block Fest, Billboard