It seems rather unfortunate that, in this modern era of gaming, there isn't much room anymore for real time strategy style titles. Games are still being made, of course, and there are many excellent RTS titles out there, but as a genre, it doesn't seem to enjoy the limelight that it once did. It's still holding on though, and it may even enjoy a bit of a resurgence at some point as it transpires that Minecraft may be turning into a real time strategy game.
That's according to ex-editor and co-founder of Giant Bomb, Jeff Gerstmann. In a recent Twitch stream, as spotted by Gaming Bolt, Gerstmann has said that the Minecraft team is currently working on an RTS spin-off. Some details suggest that it will give players the ability to control a Steve-like character or unit, and will likely involve fighting piglins and possibly other enemies. There's also going to be some cutscenes, as well as a story element. Microsoft is also apparently testing it out, with the spin-off being developed under a codename, but obviously, if the game is real, it's not done yet.
Given that Minecraft is one of the highest-grossing video games of all time, with a lot of longevity, many probably can't even imagine it as anything other than a sprawling world where users can build whatever their imagination desires. At more than ten years old, some younger gamers have even grown up on it, so to see a spin-off that takes place on an isometric field, with strategy involved, may seem unusual to some. In the video below, the discussion on the RTS game begins around the 1:19:35 mark.
That said, there have been some different takes on the old format. There's the 2020 dungeon crawler Minecraft Dungeons, not to mention Telltale Games' Minecraft: Story Mode, which was released in 2015. While the former was well received, the latter didn't seem to strike as big a chord. However, they both show that it is possible to take Mojang's open world sandbox IP and turn it into something else. Perhaps a real time strategy game isn't that far-fetched. However, it should be pointed out that none of this has yet been confirmed by Mojang or Microsoft.
If true, many fans will likely be interested in checking out this spin-off, whether they're experienced with the genre or not. There are a number of RTS games that are perfect for newcomers, such as Age of Empires 2 or Halo Wars, so if a strategy version of Minecraft is on the way, then now may be a good time to get some practice in.
Source: Gaming Bolt