Minecraft Shouldn't Ever Feel Clingy, Mojang Says
Right before the most recent Minecraft 1.19 (opens in new tab) update launched, I asked Mojang what the future of Minecraft looks like. Agnes Larsson, game director, and Nir "Ulraf” Vaknin, developer, weren't willing be feature-specific about the next major upgrade. It's no surprise that they're likely to save that for the next Minecraft Live showcase. Instead, we talked about how they're still learning from other crafting competitors and how they want to "keep the magic of Minecraft" for another 10 years and more.
Minecraft's 2010 alpha was a breakthrough in survival and crafting. There have been a thousand other crafting games, many of which are also made with voxels, but Minecraft remains the benchmark for sandbox creativity. Mojang could easily fall into a complacency after having worn the crown so long. I imagine it becoming insular, and sourcing ideas only through its own developers.
Both Larsson, Vaknin and others insisted that Minecraft was not better than any other game. (I would, though. I don't want to sound boastful, but it doesn't hurt. They do, however, say that they are able to maintain Minecraft because they know what Minecraft is.
Larsson called this intrinsic motivation. Larsson called it intrinsic motivation.
Vaknin agreed, saying that Minecraft excels in asking players for self-motivation. "A lot" of games are moving away from this because a lot more players want to be more direct.
I've tried every type of survival crafting game over the years. I was most recently drawn to Valheim's viking crafting, which I enjoyed for several months. ADDICT GAMING I also enjoyed session-based survival in Icarus, and V Rising's vampire crafting for a few days. Even Valheim, which I was consumed by for over 100 hours and helped lobby for as our game of the year (opens in new tab) in 2021, hasn't kept me coming back the way Minecraft has.
Vaknin indicated that he was keeping up with competition. He was also interested in how food and hunger in Valheim work. It allowed me to treat food as part and parcel of my gear. This was unlike how I felt in many other crafting games, such as Minecraft. He says that he spends time thinking about it, and trying to find out what we can learn.
"V Rising has a very interesting goal and boss tracking system," Vaknin also said, referencing the way that you need to track a boss across the map to find them. "It reminded my of how you find End strongholds in Minecraft using the eyes of an ender."
Vaknin hopes Minecraft will not chase trends. Minecraft learns, but it doesn't necessarily follow them.
"Minecraft doesn't seem clingy," is what he said later in our conversation. He likened it with an old friend who will be there for your every need, even if it means you have to go.
Vaknin described a common experience in the Minecraft community: playing heavily for a period of time years ago and now returning on a yearly basis as the mood strikes. That's how I've treated it for years myself, and I'm glad it's a pattern that Mojang feels confident cultivating.
"So many other games that you play make you feel like they are trying to pull you in, and then when it's over, you don’t want to go back. Minecraft is different.