Mojang finally had their MINECON Live event last week and it didn’t disappoint. At this event, we saw plenty of updates coming to the original Minecraft experience, as well as other spin-off titles and games coming to various platforms. This is an official board game that is making its way to the store shelves, as well as a new cinematic trailer for their new spin-off Minecraft Dungeons.
Those releases and updates were fantastic, but nothing was going to outdo the announcements coming our way about Minecraft Earth AR. Minecraft Earth is an open-world augmented reality game that will allow you to create and make massive earth-sized worlds for everybody to see. This game is what Minecraft players have been waiting for their whole life. A chance to be immersed inside the real world of Minecraft.
Mojang and Microsoft said last week that starting today, October 1st, select countries and regions will be able to download the open beta as long as their smartphone allows for it to run smoothly. This means your Android must be running Android 7 or newer or an iPhone running iOS 10 or newer.
In the Minecraft updated notes of the event, they posted a statement saying “Our augmented reality mobile game is clearly the best thing involving a phone since Alexander Graham Bell invented the telephone in 1876. Think that’s too braggy? Soon you’ll be able to decide for yourself, because we’re rolling out the Early Access version of the game next month! Starting in October, Minecraft Earth will be coming to countries across the globe, and we plan to have it all over the Earth by the end of the year. Keep the Minecraft Earth page bookmarked for more updates.”
This game is similar to the Pokemon AR and Harry Potter AR games, so you will be interacting with thousands of different people in your local areas. Not only are you going to be making friends inside of this game, but you will also be doing challenges on the way. For example, if you are near a real river, your challenges may be to build a hut by a lake, or even make a fake bridge on top of a small river. Whatever they are, they are going to get you involved in the world and community around you.
Players can experience this game in two different ways. If you aren’t in a situation where you can go explore, there will be a scaled tabletop version of this game as well. This means if you want to see and experience the same things as your buddies and friends, you will have the ability to do that from a god-like perspective. This keeps the game interesting and fun for those who aren’t capable of running through the wilderness in search of crystals and gems.
Users of this game are also available to team up with friends and strangers alike for finishing challenges. This is called Part Share in Fortnite, and has been increasing in popularity throughout the years. This game allows you to help each other, which only adds to the community and friendships this game is going to be building.
This game will be one of the most popular on mobile devices for years to come, and if Mojang’s history has anything to say, this game will be a fan favorite, regardless of the platforms it makes it on. This is sure to be a great hit. For more VR and AR games and news updates, make sure to check back at VRGear.com.
