Minecraft Earth to close in June

Mojang’s Pokemon Go-like title Minecraft Earth will be shut down on June 30th, 2021.

Mojang announced the closure in a blog post, revealing that they had released the final update for the game, which removed real-money transactions, and reduced the cost of items and crafting time.

As for the reasons for the game’s closure, Mojang pointed to the COVID-19 pandemic, stating:

“Minecraft Earth was designed around free movement and collaborative play – two things that have become near impossible in the current global situation. As a result, we have made the difficult decision to re-allocate our resources to other areas that provide value to the Minecraft community and to end support for Minecraft Earth in June 2021.”

Any players who have made a purchase in the game will receive a free copy of the Bedrock version of Minecraft. Additionally, players who have a paid ruby balance in their accounts will receive Minepoints, which are used in the Minecraft Marketplace and character creator.

As of June 30th, the game will no longer be playable and player data will be deleted.

“[W]e want to take a moment to thank all of the players and creators that are bringing new adventures, mobs, and free in-game items for the community to enjoy while we finalize our timeline for sunsetting the game” said Mojang.

“Your feedback and creations brought this game to an entirely different level, from the regular build challenges you absolutely smashed to the incredible builds you shared on social media. We’re eternally grateful for the amazing talent in the Minecraft community. This was not an easy decision, and we’re doing everything we can to make sure you get the most out of Minecraft Earth before it sunsets.”

The game launched on November 12th 2019, and initially saw a surge of interest, with 1.4m downloads in its first week.