When Was the Beta Version of Minecraft Released?
After first releasing a limited early version in May 2009, Minecraft officially entered beta on December 20, 2010 and remained in beta until version 1.0 launched on November 18, 2011. The beta phase transformed Minecraft from an barebones early access game into a fully-featured phenomenon ready for its official unveiling to the world.
The Origins of Minecraft and Intentions of Creator Markus "Notch" Persson
Minecraft arose from humble beginnings when Swedish programmer Markus "Notch" Persson first started working on the game in early 2009. As an independent developer, Notch worked on Minecraft as a personal side project without aspirations of explosive success.
Notch outlined the premise for his new game on his blog in May 2009:
"…a game with inspiration from games like Dwarf Fortress and Dungeon Keeper amongst others. It‘s going to be a first person game, with elements of creation, exploration and survival."
His vision centered on three key pillars that continue to define Minecraft today:
Open-ended creative building – Letting players construct nearly anything from simple shelters to intricate cities.
Mining and crafting – Gathering raw materials from the environment to craft new items and structures.
Surviving challenges – Avoiding dangers like monsters while managing hunger on top of building projects.
Notch worked on Minecraft as a personal challenge to break out of his coding comfort zone and deliver an enjoyable game based on his own interests.
His early efforts creating Minecraft were more about exploring game development concepts rather than anticipating runaway success.
Minecraft Alpha Phase Spans June 2009 to December 2010
The first public version of Minecraft was called "Minecraft Classic", equivalent to the full version‘s original Creative Mode today.
Markus released this free web-based version on May 17, 2009, giving fans their first hands-on Minecraft experience.
One month later on June 30, 2009, Persson made Classic‘s source code available so others could modify the game. This unlocked new player-created content like custom game modes and servers.
On this same day of June 30, 2009, Markus also invited early purchasers into what he coined the game‘s "alpha phase".
Minecraft Alpha essentially served as an early access program where players tested Minecraft Classic while funding continued development.
The alpha phase transformed Minecraft from some hobby code into a hit indie game:
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| July 30, 2009 | Persson charges €9.95 for Minecraft Alpha |
| 1-12 months after alpha launch | Minecraft sells over 1 million alpha copies |
| 2010 | Persson founds Mojang Studios to support himself working full-time on Minecraft |
At the start of the alpha, Minecraft only let players build structures from dirt and stone with no objectives beyond avoiding nighttime monsters. But Notch quickly delivered on his creative vision:
Key Minecraft Alpha Updates:
- Survival Mode (September 1, 2009) – Players now had to find their own resources to build while crafting tools and surviving hunger
- Multiplayer Beta (Aug 4, 2010) – Allowed players to build together on servers, creating communal projects
- The Nether (Sept 30, 2010) – Added new hellish dimension with fiery mobs and glowstone resources
As interest and sales rose exponentially, Notch expanded his fledgling company Mojang Studios throughout 2010 to continue nurturing Minecraft with a full dev team.
Business Decisions Enable Ongoing Development Leading Into Beta Period
Beyond growing his own company to support development, Notch stayed true to his fanbase with Mojang‘s business model:
- Sales from ongoing alpha access funded hiring programmers, artists, etc. to grow Minecraft
- Notch was outspoken about never making Minecraft pay-to-win or adding gambling/loot boxes
- Ambitious plans were made to support free ongoing content updates rather than paid DLC packs
This approach built tremendous goodwill with gamers who felt Notch was "one of them" rather than a greedy game executive. As sales eclipsed 1 million copies halfway through 2010, fans knew surging revenue would directly benefit them through funding bigger and better free content updates for years to come.
Beta Phase Launches Minecraft Towards Full Release
With interest skyrocketing and a proven financial model supporting growth, Notch announced the game would transition into a beta testing phase in December 2010.
The beta label signaled Minecraft still wasn‘t a finished game but now had enough key systems and infrastructure to deliver a complete game experience once fully polished. Major versions during this beta period included:
| Date | Version | Key Additions |
|---|---|---|
| Dec 20, 2010 | Beta 1.0 | Beds, new crafting items like shears, server improvements |
| Jan 13, 2011 | Beta 1.2 | Biomes like forests, tundra, lakes, mountains + wolves |
| Feb 23, 2011 | Beta 1.3 | The Nether dimension finished + mobs like ghasts, blazes |
| July 28, 2011 | Beta 1.8 | NPC villages, experience/levels, sprinting |
| Oct 13, 2011 | Beta 1.9 | The End dimension + Enderdragon boss, also added potions |
Beta was a period of ambitious enhancements that transformed Minecraft from an obscure indie game into a cross-platform multimedia phenomenon on the brink of full launch:
- Updates delivered extensively on the original creative, survival, and multiplayer visions
- Minecraft became renowned as a unique gaming and social phenomenon beyond just Notch‘s pet project
- Mainstream buzz plus word-of-mouth propelled sales to over 4 million by November 2011
The beta ultimately fulfilled its purpose – transforming early-access Minecraft into a completed game ready for an official 1.0 unveiling.
Full Launch Out of Beta Makes Minecraft an Iconic Game
Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson officially declared Minecraft complete and launched out of beta with the debut of version 1.0 at MineCon 2011 on November 18, 2011.
While updates would continue for another decade and counting, this seminal date marked a historic milestone where Notch comfortably handed Minecraft‘s figurative car keys to gamers everywhere.
In the subsequent 12 years since this full release, Minecraft‘s tremendous post-launch journey speaks to successfully laying the game‘s cornerstone during the 2009-2011 alpha-beta transformations:
| Date | Milestone |
|---|---|
| 2014 | Releases on PS4, Xbox One + iOS establishing Minecraft as multiplatform |
| 2014 | 100+ million copies sold globally across all platforms |
| 2022 | 1 trillion views for Minecraft videos on YouTube |
| 2022 | Over 140 million monthly active players, nearly 30 million sold every year |
| 2023 | Option to play Minecraft across devices with same Mojang account |
| Ongoing | Updates like 1.20 with new wood, loot structure, etc. set for 2023 |
Few games in history has matched Minecraft‘s longevity thanks largely to the vision Notch instilled during its formative early access phrase between 2009 and 2011 beta launch.
Conclusion – Critical Beta Bolstered Minecraft‘s Meteoric Ascent
The Minecraft that took the world by storm traced its origins to Markus "Notch" Persson brainstorming ideas for his new game as a side project in Spring 2009. The wildly creative and engaging end result we now know globally spent its developmental incubation in Minecraft‘s alpha and beta periods spanning 2009 to 2011 beta launch.
Notch created something novel yet universal that struck a cultural chord. Still, Mojang‘s responsible monetization model and wealth of substantial updates during the beta testing phase ensured his indie project ascended rather than being a short-lived phenomenon.
So when was this game-changing beta version of Minecraft released? December 20, 2010 – setting in motion updates and exposure culminating with 1.0 full launch under a year later and countless more innovations in the decade-plus since.
