Minecraft celebrates the 10th birthday and its’ popularity in the gaming community skyrockets. Back in May it even exceeded Fortnite’s popularity. And now Minecraft is the most popular game in the world. Again. And here are 3 reasons why it’s happening.
#1 Reason: Minecraft Hits Right In The Feels
These little girls and boys who tried Minecraft for the first time ten years ago are now teenagers and young adults. And for them, the game feels nostalgic by now. Even though Minecraft keeps updating, the game core remains the same. So once these grown girls and boys open the game, it might feel like a time travel back to childhood.
A good example is a YouTube creator PewDiePie. Back in June, the most popular YouTuber released the Minecraft gameplay video. He says in the video: “Mine first video ever was a Minecraft video” and then adds up: “Oh my God. After all those years, I am back in Minecraft.” Reactions like this and the nostalgia from existing players attract new people into the game.
#2 Reason: Minecraft Hits Right In The Trends
There are a lot of games that are 10 years old and older. But none of them receive as much spotlight as Minecraft does. And that’s because Minecraft is not only about nostalgia. For most of the past ten years, Minecraft follows the trends and keeps improving. The latest updates, such as Aquatic Update and the Village and Pillage Update brings both old and new players.
Game is not the only one that improves. There is also a wider variety of services aimed at the game. For example, hosting provider Hostinger suggests dedicated Minecraft Servers Hosting for multiplayer gaming. Players are lucky that technologies are evolving. Ten years ago a dedicated server would cost at least 30$ per month, as for today it’s more than 3 times cheaper.
#3 Reason: Minecraft Hits Right In The Mainstream
In a Business Insider interview, Minecraft studio head Helen Chiang told that the game now has over 112 million players every month. And that equals to 112 million potential merchandise buyers. If we add up players’ families and friends, who might want to surprise them, the number gets even bigger.
And that’s where mainstream products kick in. LEGO has its Minecraft themed sets. Happy Socks created a limited edition of Minecraft socks. Even classical UNO cards have a Minecraft edition. All these products aim at those who already play the game, but their visibility attracts new players as well.
Minecraft is up and running for ten years now. Even though it had a bumpy road for the past couple of years after the release of Fortnite, it’s back on top again. Reasons why people decide to get back on Minecraft or try it for the first time might differ. But the fact remains the same: if Minecraft were a movie, it definitely would be a blockbuster.