Minecraft Earth is shutting down nearly 2 years after launch

Nearly two years after it launched, developer Mojang announced plans to shut down augmented reality service Minecraft Earth.

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

Similar to Pokémon GO, Minecraft Earth’s primary premise was to encourage players to move around the real world. But instead of capturing Pokémon, players were tasked with collecting resources, crafting items, and building structures. It was the same Minecraft experience people knew and loved, but with an augmented reality twist.

Before Minecraft Earth shuts down, Mojang is releasing one final update, which the developer said is designed to make the game as fun as possible. The update will remove real-money transactions, drastically reduce ruby costs, and include all completed, unreleased content that was planned.

“We’re eternally grateful for the amazing talent in the Minecraft community,” Mojang said. “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.”

Once June 30 rolls around, players will be unable to download or play Minecraft Earth. On July 1, Mojang will delete any Minecraft Earth player data unrelated to Character Creator and Minecoin entitlements. If you have a leftover ruby balance, you’ll be granted Minecoins, which you can use in the Minecraft Marketplace.

Finally, if you’ve made a purchase in Minecraft Earth of any kind, you’ll receive a free copy of Minecraft (the Bedrock version). While it’s sad Minecraft Earth is shutting down, Minecraft is still more relevant than ever, and continues to be one of the most-played games in the industry.

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