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Cartoon Network will livestream virtual 'Minecraft' convention
It's almost time for Minecon -- an annual convention exclusively for Minecraft -- and like last year, you can watch the whole event from the comfort of your living room. Cartoon Network will broadcast the 90-minute event on its YouTube channel (which is sadly geoblocked) on September 29th, Saturday, starting at at 11:30 AM ET. The livestream will feature pre- and post-show programming, community panels, costume contests, live gameplay, the latest about the game and more. According to Variety, the livestream will also show merchandise you can purchase from home.
Virtual 'Minecraft' convention Minecon Earth returns September 29th
Minecon is returning to a livestream near you. On September 29th, the virtual fan convention will broadcast a 90-minute show featuring panels, a costume contest and news. To participate in the first two, you just need to fill out an application form and submit photos, respectively, and if the judging committee is impressed with your ideas, you could get flown to the filming location and be a part of the show.
Minecraft’s annual convention is now an online stream
Minecon has been a popular event for Minecraft fans since 2010, but this year the good people of Mojang are switching it up. Instead of a physical convention, it will host Minecon Earth -- an interactive, live show that will be streamed online.
'Minecraft' players on Windows 10 and mobile can now build together
Minecraft offers wondrous worlds for solo adventurers, but it also gives groups the perfect canvas to build on and break together. With this in mind, developer Mojang is making it easier to host your friends with cross-platform play between Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition and Minecraft: Pocket Edition. Up to five players can now join the same session on a local network with their PC, iOS, Android or Windows Phone devices. And, if you need another reason to try Microsoft's new OS, the Windows 10 version has also been updated with five-person online multiplayer over Xbox Live. Microsoft has put a ton of work into its new Xbox app for Windows 10 -- it's desperate to prove the OS is a worthy upgrade for PC gamers -- and this could make it easier for beginners to set up collaborative builds.
This is Minecon: the biggest 'Minecraft' fan convention
Inside the main convention hall, children scurry left and right with foam diamond swords raised high above their heads. Eyes wide and mouths agape, some of them rush toward a blocky reimagining of Big Ben, where Minecraft's formidable Ender Dragon can be found wrapped around the clock face. Below, parents wander between life-size character statues and trees with cube-cut canopies, a mixture of fascination and bemusement etched onto their faces. For one weekend in July, 10,000 of the most dedicated Minecraft players have descended upon London's Excel Exhibition Centre for Minecon, a fan convention celebrating the blockbuster sandbox building game. With panels, signings, tournaments and merchandise, it's the Minecraft equivalent of Disney World and Comic-Con.
I played 'Minecraft' with Microsoft's HoloLens
"Try to look straight," a Microsoft employee tells me in a bright, cheery tone. I'm staring through an unusual pair of binoculars -- the kind that's normally used to test your eyesight in an optometrist's office. My gaze is locked on the piercing white light inside, but I can feel my sleep-deprived eyes beginning to tire. "Oh, you've moved again," my guide mutters with a hint of disappointment. I'm sitting in a small meeting room deep inside London's Excel Exhibition Centre, waiting for the distance between my eyes to be measured. It's not even 9AM, but already the first Minecraft fans are spilling through for the second day of Minecon -- a fan convention that celebrates the blocky building game invented by Markus "Notch" Persson. Once an indie darling, the imaginative sandbox title is now a global phenomenon played by millions of children and adults around the world. But today, instead of queuing for pictures with creepers and famous YouTubers, I'm waiting to play Minecraft on HoloLens.
Here's your first look at Telltale's 'Minecraft: Story Mode' game
The people behind Minecraft just kicked off Minecon 2015 with a bang. At the fan convention's opening ceremony, Mojang's Lydia Winters debuted the first trailer for Minecraft: Story Mode, an upcoming title from Telltale Games. Yep, the same developer that created video game tie-ins for Game of Thrones and The Walking Dead. As you might expect, Minecraft: Story Mode combines the game's blocky aesthetic with a branching, narrative-based adventure. Players will take control of Jesse, who has to find the fabled "Order of the Stone" with his friends to save the world from destruction. There's a panel later today with the Mojang and Telltale folks, so we're expecting to hear a lot more then.
Microsoft shows off 'Minecraft' built specifically for HoloLens
At its E3 2015 event, Microsoft has given us a new demo of Minecraft built specifically for its HoloLens augmented reality headset. As we've guessed since the hardware originally appeared, the creative world-building game is a perfect fit for the futuristic hardware. The demonstrator at first controlled the experience with an Xbox One controller, then just used his hands in the air to play, and could peek around, above and through his creations simply by moving around in real space. A little awkward to watch, sure, but the live feed showed us a simulated HoloLens feed so we could follow along. We still don't know when we'll be exploring its combination of real and virtual worlds for ourselves, but Microsoft promises more information at the MineCon event that starts July 4th. If you missed it in the stream, check out our gallery to see how it all looks.
No Minecon 2014, Mojang 'shooting' for spring 2015
Minecon will miss its annual appearance this year, Mojang COO Vu Bui announced on the company blog. Instead of crafting a 2014 iteration of its Minecraft-themed convention, the next Minecon will be tentatively be held in 2015. "While we don't have a set date for the next MINECON just yet, I wanted to let everyone know that it won't be until some time in 2015. I'm shooting to have it in the spring in London," Bui wrote before cautioning that even this plan isn't set in stone. "We always announce as soon as we confirm with the venue and have a signed contract, but never before, because we want to make sure we can follow through with the event and we never want people to start planning to attend something that might not happen." Oh well. More time to stock up on those crafting supplies! [Image: Mojang]
What you need to know about 'Minecraft'
Chances are that if you don't play Minecraft yourself, you've probably at least heard of it or know someone who does. The charming indie game has invaded nearly every facet of pop culture, casting its blocky spell on everything from Legos to feature films and has even been used for tourism. With over 54 million copies sold, Sweden-based developer Mojang made $128 million last year largely thanks to Minecraft and has become one of the most successful game studios in the world. But what actually is Minecraft? We're glad you asked!
Minecraft enables one-click Twitch broadcasting on PC, Mac
Sharing footage of your finest blocky creations just became much easier with the addition of simple, one-click Twitch streaming to the PC and Mac incarnations of Minecraft. Though this agreement was outlined at the recent MineCon event, it wasn't until today that things changed within Minecraft. Now, after a quick visit to enable streaming in your account settings, you can stream gameplay footage at a moment's notice simply by pressing the F6 key. If any of that sounds too complicated, don't worry: the video above serves as a walkthrough of Minecraft's new streaming features. The only caveat here is that Twitch support is currently only available to Minecraft players under Windows and OS X. We have contacted Twitch to ask if the game's Linux version might also see streaming options in the future and are currently awaiting a response. Update: It looks like Linux streaming is not happening, at least not yet. Twitch replied to our inquiry, saying "Currently, Twitch for Minecraft only supports Windows (Vista and later) and Mac OS X (10.8, 10.9). Linux support is currently not planned due to licensing issues surrounding the encoding software."
Minecraft gets Twitch-y with new partnership for integrated streaming
Twitch and Mojang have partnered to deliver an integrated streaming experience in indie sensation Minecraft, the companies announced at MineCon today. Players on PC and Mac with a Twitch account will be able to easily stream their games to their Twitch.tv channels "soon," according to a press release. Matthew DiPietro, vice president of marketing at Twitch, said in the same press release that Minecraft has "struck a very powerful chord" with Twitch users. "Its constantly escalating popularity illustrates that people love to watch video games outside of the headline-grabbing eSports titles. Expect a watershed moment for both players and spectators once the ability to easily broadcast gameplay directly to Twitch goes live." While this announcement is for PC and Mac users, it's important to note that the Xbox One will be getting its own version of Minecraft, and Twitch is integrated into Microsoft's next-gen system. So the possibility is there for Twitch streaming from a console version of the game. You know, unless a creeper comes by and blows everything up. Sssssssss.
MMO Family: MMO trends from kid-friendly game conventions
Summer is convention season, and adults weren't the only ones who got to celebrate their favorite games and talk to the developers who make them. Young fans of Free Realms and Clone Wars Adventures attended panels at SOE Live, while Roblox fans recently wrapped up the third leg of the BLOXcon tour, which was held in Chicago, London, and New York City. And Minecraft fans scooped up tickets to MineCon as soon as they were made available. Kid-gamers are a force to be reckoned with, and they can be just as passionate about their games as adults. What can we learn from them about trends in MMOs? Let's take a look in this week's MMO Family.
Minecraft convention heads to sunny Orlando in November
Minecon 2013, the third annual Minecraft convention, will be held in Orlando, Florida, from November 2 - 3, with tickets and hotels available in July. Notch says he chose Orlando by spinning a globe and sticking a sword through it, but we assume there are other reasons for his pick. Obviously, Orlando is the sole home of Universal Studios' magical theme park, The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Also, the weather in November should be absolutely lovely. Minecon 2012 was held in Disneyland Paris in November and drew in 7,000 fans, and the previous year it set up shop in Las Vegas, Nevada. The 2011 event saw 5,000 attendees, and it hosted impressive scale models of real-life Minecraft beasts, including a 40 foot Enderdragon.
Next MineCon 'most definitely in the US'
While there's still no official word on when Mojang's next Minecraft-centric MineCon event will take place, the convention's potential location has at least been narrowed down to a specific country: "It'll be in the US, that's for sure. It's most definitely in the US," Mojang director of fun Lydia Winters told the audience during a recent SXSW Interactive panel."That's all I can say," Winters added. "I would like to tell more, but it's not 100 percent certain so I can't say anything yet." MineCon 2012 took place at Disneyland Paris, while the inaugural event stormed the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada. In addition to her panel-hosting duties, Winters mentioned that her SXSW schedule included a meeting to discuss the next MineCon.
MineCon 2012 going to Disneyland Paris this November
Where on Earth can you hang out with such adorable pop culture icons as Mickey Mouse, Goofy, and Markus "Notch" Persson? Only at Disneyland Paris during MineCon 2012. Mojang will hold the annual Minecraft convention at the theme park November 24 and 25, a definite step up from last year's Las Vegas location, though it does complicate travel plans for those of us not in the same continent as Disneyland Paris.Mojang will open up registration for tickets and accommodation "soon." Start stapling plastic mouse ears onto your favorite fedora now.
MineCon digs out of Vegas, headed to Europe; Mojang attending PAX Prime
MineCon will return in 2012, though it won't be held in its previous Las Vegas digs. Mojang director of fun (seriously her title) Lydia Winters took to the company's blog and cursorily detailed the next MineCon as taking place in "a secret location" somewhere in Europe. Winters promised "ALL the details" as soon as Mojang signs the lease for its Europe-based convention.Additionally, Winters confirmed that Mojang will indeed be attending PAX Prime once more this August/September, though she didn't say what those Minecrafty folks will be showing off. We've got high hopes of seeing the next big update to Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition, and we suspect that 0x10c may also be in attendance.
The MMO Report: Schreinercraft edition
This week on The MMO Report, Casey covers South Korea's Cinderella Law, Firefall's attempts at class balance, and World of Warcraft's 4.3 patch. He also suggests that "it's beginning to look a lot like riftmas" in RIFT (groan) before announcing that in honor of Minecon and Minecraft's 240 million logins per month, he will soon begin work on "Schreinercraft, a graphically minimalist, open-source game where players build, create, and customize virtual beards for their avatars." He notes that he doesn't "have any programming experience, start-up capital, or a business plan," but he "love[s] money and would enjoy having more of it." Don't we all! Finally, he dives into Uncle Casey's Mailbag and asks readers to mail him the story of their first MMO experience for possible inclusion in a future show. All this and more in the full HD video behind the break!
How the beautiful beasts of Minecon were made
Minecon hosted a sold-out venue in Las Vegas for panels, pictures and merch-buying, a Deadmau5 concert and -- most impressively -- dozens of life-size, physical replicas of Minecraft classics, including pixelated Steves, Creepers, sheep, chickens, tame dogs, weapons, torches, mushrooms, buildings and a 40-foot-long Enderdragon. These scale models were all hand-made by special-effects superstar Greg Aronowitz and his team, who have written an in-depth behind-the-scenes blog post about the entire affair, demonstrating how difficult, stressful and fun the Minecon build was. For example, this is what Notch sent Aronowitz as a texture guide for the Mooshroom and all the other characters: Yes, at that size, just 123K. To see how these tiny images became real-life versions of Minecraft characters, check out all of the photos in Aronowitz's blog post.
Build a place in your day for the MineCon keynote
If you weren't fortunate (or fervent!) enough to secure an entry pass to the first-ever MineCon -- that's shorthand for Minecraft Convention, obvs -- you can now watch the full, 39-minute keynote, courtesy of Gamespot. (And catch the new Mega64 video at the 33-minute mark!)
