Minecraft a hit during pandemic

More than 120 million people are playing the building and exploration game

A guest taking a photo of the signs at the entrance of the Minecraft for Gear VR press demonstration and reception in San Francisco in this 2016 file photo.
A guest taking a photo of the signs at the entrance of the Minecraft for Gear VR press demonstration and reception in San Francisco in this 2016 file photo. PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

SAN FRANCISCO • About 126 million people are playing Minecraft monthly and more than 200 million copies of the building and exploration game have been sold since its launch in 2011, as online play surges during the coronavirus pandemic.

On Sunday, Minecraft celebrated 11 years since its first alpha build, freshened with updates and having closed out last year as the most viewed game on YouTube.

Ms Helen Chiang, head of Microsoft-owned Mojang Studios, which makes the game, said: "Though 2020 has been an incredibly challenging year, we're proud that Minecraft continues to inspire and connect an ever-growing global community of passionate players and creators."

In a move aimed at reaching a younger tech user base, Microsoft about six years ago bought the Swedish group behind hugely popular Minecraft for US$2.5 billion, bolstering its gaming division.

The deal for Mojang gave Microsoft one of the best-known video games of all time - one which is played on game consoles as well as PCs and mobile devices.

As part of its recent anniversary celebration, Mojang updated its logo and look in the spirit of unifying its studios in Redmond, Washington and Stockholm, according to Ms Chiang.

Video games and online viewing of matches at platforms such as Twitch, YouTube and Facebook have been seeing huge growth during the pandemic, which has shut down real-world leisure activities and kept billions indoors.

Evidence of the gaming surge was seen in strong results from Activision Blizzard, which said an average of 102 million people played its games, such as Call Of Duty, online in the first quarter of this year.

The company reported growth in titles such as Overwatch, World Of Warcraft and the popular colour-matching smartphone game Candy Crush.

Electronic Arts, meanwhile, saw players flock to online sports in hit franchises devoted to football, baseball and American football.

"They're gaming so much, they are wearing out their devices," analyst Ted Pollak of Jon Peddie Research said after the game-makers reported earnings recently.

A report by Futuresource Consulting called gaming "the shooting star of the entertainment industry" and said it is expected to boost its share of the sector to 36 per cent by 2023, from 31 per cent last year.

"Following a record-breaking year last year, with gaming software generating US$143 billion (S$203 billion) of consumer spending, the industry is poised for further growth, with captive audiences worldwide acting as a catalyst," the report said.

AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE

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A version of this article appeared in the print edition of The Straits Times on May 20, 2020, with the headline Minecraft a hit during pandemic. Subscribe