For a long time, Minecraft has been the best-selling video game, and that record probably isn't going away anytime soon. It's nearly 100 million sales ahead of Grand Theft Auto 5, meaning any game lucky enough to steal second place from GTA still has a long way to go if it hopes to beat Mojang's record. The game's overwhelming financial success is a testament to its enduring quality. Minecraft continues to grow while supporting hugely popular content creators on Twitch and YouTube; Mojang's sandbox game shows no sign of stopping.
Anyone who needs more evidence of Minecraft's powerful presence should look no further than the record it just set on YouTube. Minecraft and YouTube are celebrating the fact that Minecraft videos have reached a staggering one trillion total views on the platform. Although people have been making Minecraft YouTube videos for about as long as the site has existed, Minecraft remains a major part of its gaming ecosystem, accruing huge views on the regular. Minecraft's one trillion YouTube views milestone is an indicator of just how popular and influential this game is, even after more than 10 years.
Viewing Minecraft's Impact Through YouTube
It was entirely possible that Minecraft would slowly fade away and eventually shut down in the years after its release, as many games do, but it stuck around. Perhaps that's thanks to Minecraft's simple, approachable sandbox model. People keep making incredible things in Minecraft, and with every update Mojang introduces new possibilities that spur even more creations, stories, and player interactions that are shared through platforms like YouTube. No matter how long content creators play it, Minecraft always has something new to offer.
Minecraft's huge YouTube view total also showcases how important Minecraft is to the game industry. For many years, Minecraft has served as a pillar of its genre, a fantastic introduction to video games for young fans, and an example of how games can build communities. Minecraft was far from the first game with a thriving, close-knit community, but thanks to its presence at the dawn of Internet content creation careers, it was an invaluable tool for connecting people through video games. The connections that Minecraft built in the early days of YouTube continue to impact today's stars.
Minecraft is Here to Stay
Although many of the earliest Minecraft YouTubers have passed the peak of their fame, a new generation of YouTubers has risen in their place to explore a very different version of the game from what first got popular. Thanks to Dream, Tommyinnit, and other current Minecraft YouTubers, the game still has a major impact, resulting in the aforementioned one trillion views. As its community thrives and Mojang keeps releasing updates, the game is bound to keep gathering views, so it might even reach two trillion someday.
Its ongoing popularity on YouTube creates a feedback loop that's valuable for Mojang. As long as Minecraft keeps expanding, it'll keep getting views on YouTube, and as long as people are watching Minecraft videos then interest in the game will remain high. Between that cycle and Microsoft's backing, Mojang can safely continue expanding and improving Minecraft for many more years, even though the game released over ten years ago. Minecraft owes a lot to its faithful audience, but if the new YouTube milestone proves anything, it's that Mojang can safely count on those fans for a while yet. Minecraft is far from new, but it's also far from irrelevant.
Minecraft is available now for Mobile, PC, PS4, Switch, and Xbox One.