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Minecraft hits 4 million, growing as fast as ever
Since we're not writing about Minecraft three or four times a day like we used to, we'd kind of assumed the love affair between Mojang's world builder and the internet was waning. But judging by the fact that the game just broke four million sold, it may not be time to call in Dr. Phil just yet. In fact, the game got from three to four million in three months, which is a full month faster than it got from two to three million. Well-respected researchers (who actually exist) say that if growth continues at this rate, 2012 doomsday prophecies will be fulfilled as every human in existence is buried underneath a digital copy of Minecraft. It will be a grim, blocky landscape and Kristen Schaal will be its sole lord and conqueror. All hail Schall.
2 Player Productions also crafting Scrolls documentary, first part now available
When they're not busy producing work for Penny Arcade or working on development house documentaries, the folks from 2 Player Productions are also slicing off choice cuts of tape regarding the legally embattled next game from Mojang Specifications: Scrolls. The documentary group's website recently revealed the first of several pieces that make up the entire Scrolls doc, featuring interviews and footage from inside the studio. As expected, Mojang co-founder and Minecraft lead Markus "Notch" Persson makes a few appearances, but the focus instead falls on Scrolls lead Jakob Porser, who 2 Player describes as "long-time friend of Markus "Notch" Persson and co-founder of the company." The first clip, seen above, delves into the germination of the project, the team, and eventually the legal battle brought forth by Bethesda regarding the name, Scrolls. Especially interesting, Porser notes during the clip that "Minecraft isn't just a great game, it's a Cinderella story," when asked whether he thinks Mojang will be able to overcome its first game's success with future projects. "Even if we do the world's best game after Minecraft, it's not gonna be a Cinderella story," he admits. But perhaps a well-publicized legal battle with a monolithic corporation will help, we imagine.
Mojang wins interim injunction battle, can keep using 'Scrolls' name for now
As ZeniMax and Mojang begin their back alley knife fight, it seems that Notch and Co. has drawn first blood. The indie studio won the right to continue to use the "Scrolls" name -- which Bethesda claims infringes on its Elder Scrolls copyright -- until the case goes to trial. The decision, as Notch pointed out in his Twitter feed, can still be appealed by Bethesda parent company ZeniMax. Should that go badly, we've prepared some less contentious names that will still really irritate Bethesda. Gloom FRUSTRATION Tectonic Event Arena Live Remaining Radioactive Material 3 Edge Slippery Rogue Warrior (note: Bethesda will probably let this one slide) Breeders Cup World Thoroughbred Championships (note: ditto) Remaining Radioactive Material: New Atlantic City
Bear witness to Minecraft's blocky dragon
This prototype of a dragon on its way to the world of Minecraft may be ... basic, even by the standards of the blocky world. But when a dragon is headed your way, don't you want as much early warning as possible? Let other outlets wait for final screenshots, we'll cover a Notch-tweeted prototype if it keeps you and your cubical loved ones from getting burninated. And just so we're clear, it's ... just the one dragon, right? Because if it's an unlimited number ... well, let's just say we'd hate to see you end up with with a double lawsuit.
Bethesda tells Mojang to lay down its virtual guns, lawyer up for a trademark battle
Time was, men could settle their disputes with glinting swords at the ready and their honor on the line. Nowadays, only the cosplaying and Comic Con attending folk alike are likely to burnish (elvish) blades, although they're rather inapt to sully them with enemy blood. Well, unsurprisingly, Mojang head Markus "Notch" Persson's modern day offer of a Quake 3 Arena simulated duel -- his proposed method of extralegal recourse -- was shot down by Bethesda, the company suing the Minecraft creator for use of the word "Scrolls" in its unreleased card game. As these are apparently sue-happy times, both parties are headed to court to battle it out, with Mojang facing the terrible repercussion of a forced product name change. From the looks of the defendant's Twitter feed, however, it doesn't appear the impending litigation's breaking this Swede's stride.
Bethesda vs. Mojang: 'Scrolls' case going to court
So ... no Quake 3 then? Despite Notch's offer to engage in deathmatch against a team of Bethesda's choosing over the matter, it seems that the battle for use of the "Scrolls" name will take place in court instead. As the Mojang boss tweeted, "The Scrolls case is going to court! Weee! :D" If you remember, Bethesda claimed that Mojang's upcoming collectible card game, Scrolls, was too close in (trademarked) title to the publisher's Elder Scrolls series of games. Mojang business developer Daniel Kaplan called the suit "really silly" while speaking with Gamasutra, but said that, in the worst case scenario, Mojang would be forced to change the title. Since a name change would be the toxic leftovers from this legal wrangling, we'd suggest changing the name to "Fallout." You can thank us later.
Minecraft Pocket Edition coming to those other Android devices September 29
Mojang Specifications has announced that the pint-sized version of its big ol' indie hit, Minecraft Pocket Edition, will arrive on Android devices September 29. The studio also released a video showing how the title will operate without the handy slide-out joypad of its original platform, the Xperia Play. You can watch said demonstration through the thumbs of the man seen in the video above. We're not sure if a button-free input scheme is going to give us the kind of creative freedom we'll need to build our miles-wide masterpieces, but it should let us create a few smaller opuses; like the Tiny Washington Monument, or the Tiny Pyramide du Louvre. [Thanks, Andrew!]
Massive Minecraft Game Boy plays Tetris (almost)
We've seen our fair share of huge Minecraft constructions in the past, and we figured that by now, our jaded hearts would have lost the ability to feel the kind of awe and amazement imbued by truly impressive builds. Thankfully, Minecraft community MinecraftA2Z is here to show us just how wrong we are, by way of their terrifically huge Game Boy reconstruction. While the Game Boy doesn't actually function, the team did create entire screens out of blocks for use as a stop-motion animation, which to us seems even more time consuming impressive. Hop past the break for another video detailing the enormous handheld's dimensions and specs.
Minecraft update 1.8 is (officially) live
We know that Minecraft version 1.8 (also referred to as the "Adventure Update") has been available through semi-official means since late last week, after a Mojang developer leaked the update with the studio's blessing. If you don't feel like chasing down the file, however, you can now grab the patch through the Minecraft launcher, where it recently went live for all users. We realize this doesn't have much impact on our more tech-savvy, file-hunting readers, but if you share our fear of downloading a game update which is secretly an illegal bestiality porno virus, you can now download the update free of that particular worry. [Thanks, Richard.]
MineCon attendees get alpha codes for Cobalt, Scrolls
Mojang Specifications is making a pretty big assumption about the character of the folks who are attending the first MineCon expo: That they enjoy playing Mojang's games. Frankly, we think this disposition seems a little presumptuous, but nevertheless, the successful indie studio has announced that it will hand out vouchers to download alpha code for Scrolls (its next first-party title) and Cobalt (its first third-party title) to all of the event's attendees. Now that we think about it, Mojang's missing out on some pretty great contest opportunities by just giving those things away. Why not hide them inside of cuboid trees, and give attendees axes, and just tell them to go crazy? Or bury them far, far below the earth, perching them precariously over a pit of awaiting lava? Or hide them in Notch's hat!
Notch explains why Minecraft has yet to get Steam'd
Minecraft has been widely available for quite some time in various forms (alpha, beta), but when it fully launches this November, it won't be available on Steam. "Being on Steam limits a lot of what we're allowed to do with the game," Mojang president and founder Markus "Notch" Persson explains in a post on his Tumblr blog. "We (probably?) wouldn't be able to, say, sell capes or have a map marketplace on minecraft.net that works with Steam customers in a way that keeps Valve happy," he adds. Notch worries that inclusion on Steam would divide the PC/Mac market of Minecraft users, rather than offer more to existing players. It's not as though there's any animosity though, with Notch kicking off the post by lavishing a paragraph of praise upon "the best digital distribution platform I've ever seen." He also notes that Mojang "are talking to Valve about this" to try and make things work for everyone, but, understandably, "We just don't want to limit what we can do with Minecraft." [Image credit: Steam forums]
Minecraft Adventure Update preview: It's a start
As completely and undeniably delightful as Mojang's indie blockbuster Minecraft is, there's a sense of emptiness that pervades its cuboid worlds. It's a void too large to be filled with replica Enterprises and scale models of the Zelda: Link to the Past overworld. It's a cavity left by the absence of adventure. Sure, the game's already got enemies and hidden treasures, but it can only really switch between binary states of peril and exploration. That, friends, does not an adventure make. Fortunately, Mojang understands its already successful title needs a bit more adventure-meat on the bones. Its first step in breathing more life into its destructible, constructible game is the Adventure Update, which the studio was showing off at PAX. Fitting in with the game's iteratively updated release formula, the addition doesn't tack on all the things the title needs -- but it lays some compelling groundwork for the game's transformation into a fully-fledged RPG affair.
Wurm Online to open new PvE server 'Deliverance' -- commence land rush!
Wurm Online, the classic sandbox MMO partially crafted from the mind of Minecraft's Notch, has announced today that it will open up another Freedom PvE server on September 6th. This server will be the first time new virgin land has been available in the game for years, setting the stage for an exciting land rush. The server will be named Deliverance (oh, now you get the header image), and will only be accessible through the tutorial portal or the southern edge of the existing Freedom Independence server. So if you're interested in scoping out the newest and best land for your Wurm Online village, get your settlement token ready at 12 p.m EDT on the 6th and good luck!
How to hide your treasure in Minecraft: an instructional video
Hiding your valuables from looters in Minecraft can be tricky. Thankfully, Minecraft world builder "Zaka" created this instructional video on how to make sure your super secret stones stay super secret. (But is it still a secret at this point?) [Thanks, Zack.]
Cobalt preview: Chaotic and robotic
There's a lot going on in Cobalt. Like, a lot. In fact, as much as I detest "it's like this but this," I feel like that's the best place to start. The best way I can describe Cobalt (the first third-party release from Minecraft's Mojang) is as a curious mix of John Woo, Super Meat Boy, Contra and (most prominently) Super Smash Brothers. Like I said ... a lot going on. %Gallery-131035%
Watch Notch of Minecraft fame code a game from scratch, live
Notch, the mastermind behind Minecraft, claims to be a programmer, but we're pretty convinced that he's actually some sort of alchemist or double-wizard. We've been watching his live-stream, and after careful deliberation, we figure that's the only explanation for what we're seeing.
Minecraft creator challenges Bethesda to deathmatch for the word 'scrolls'
While Samsung, Apple, HTC and others battle it out in court with lawyers and expansive patent portfolios, one man seems to know how real geeks settle disputes -- with a deathmatch. Markus "Notch" Persson, the man behind Minecraft and head of Mojang, has decided the best way to put the trademark squabble with Bethesda to rest is two rounds of three-on-three Quake 3 Arena action. The Elder Scrolls developer is sticking with the same tactics that have made smartphone companies our new least-favorite corporate citizens, but Notch thinks ownership of the word "scrolls" can best be determined with BFGs and railguns. With any luck this will catch on and, when Steve Jobs and Larry Page lead their forces into battle in Team Fortress, we're gonna have to put on our money on the Mountain View crew.
Mojang unveils first third-party game, Cobalt
Mojang may only be known for Minecraft right now, but the studio's looking to branch out from blocks with its first third-party release: Cobalt, developed by Oxeye Game Studios. ... OK, so one of the pieces of concept art we were sent may just be a giant picture of a block made from many other blocks. But it's neon! Good luck finding that in Minecraft. Kidding aside, Mojang's flagship seems to bear little resemblance to Cobalt, described as "an action game of running, jumping, rolling, shooting, throwing, dancing, hacking, rolling, flying, sliding, climbing, looting, deflecting, racing, piñata-ing, passing, scoring... and even more rolling." Speaking of overlong quotes that we wouldn't dare attempting to condense, here's what we know of Cobalt's story: "It's hard to be a metal face. Agent Cobalt has learned as much after finding the Space Exploration Foundation's lost colonization ship The Seed at planet X9CSEC5.5B-blue, Trunkopia. It was once built by a one million strong development team back on Earth, but disappeared merely 30 minutes after its subspace jump. Whatever happened on board during its misadventure, sanity was not invited." So ... robots? The future? Your guess is as good as ours. Hopefully, all will be made clear when the game arrives this fall on Windows, followed by Mac and Linux versions. %Gallery-131035%
Notch challenges Bethesda to Quake 3 deathmatch for 'Scrolls' trademark
Look, sometimes the traditional justice systems of the world just can't get it done. Some kerfuffles require alternative forms of arbitration -- like, for instance, the recent trademark dispute between Mojang and Bethesda over the former's upcoming game, Scrolls. Notch from Mojang has an interesting suggestion for solving the dispute once and for all: "I challenge Bethesda to a game of Quake 3," he said in his blog earlier today. "Three of our best warriors against three of your best warriors," Notch added. "We select one level, you select the other, we randomize the order. 20 minute matches, highest total frag count per team across both levels wins." The stakes for this contest would be fairly high, as Notch added, "If we win, you drop the lawsuit. If you win, we will change the name of Scrolls to something you're fine with." In related news, we've been sitting here for like, an hour, trying to turn this whole scenario into a parody song of Charlie Daniels' "The Devil Went Down to Georgia." Our two hang-ups are that we're not comfortable characterizing either party as Satan, and also that we're just not Weird Al-clever.
Buy Minecraft this weekend, get Minecraft for free
Notch is getting married this weekend, and he's celebrating the, uh ... celebration of his love by giving free Minecraft to everyone ... who buys a copy of Minecraft! Wait, let us explain. Everyone that purchases a copy of the game this weekend (not using a gift code), will receive a free gift code to give to whomever they want. Once you purchase a copy, the code will show up in your account on the Minecraft website. After all, nothing says love like giving someone an insidious addiction.
