Will MC Earth Come Back?
As a hardcore Minecraft fan, I was extremely disappointed when Mojang announced the permanent shutdown of the augmented reality (AR) mobile game Minecraft Earth on June 30, 2021.
The likelihood of MC Earth returning or relaunching ever again is virtually zero based on all evidence from Mojang, Microsoft, and industry analysis.
While we can always hope for an AR-driven Minecraft resurgence down the road, focusing any anticipation on a revival of this specific failed experiment would be misguided at best. But before closing the door completely, let‘s revisit why MC Earth crashed and burned originally…
The Core Gameplay Struggled Due to COVID-19
MC Earth delivers a real world augmented reality experience, allowing players to build creations tied to their location that others could view and interact with on their mobile devices.
The premise seems incredibly fun and futuristic. But the main catch is that, like Pokemon GO, the system relies heavily on free movement and social collaboration in public spaces.
When COVID-19 limited mobility and group activities, core design pillars of MC Earth fundamentally stopped functioning.
Mojang admitted that under lockdowns and quarantines, their vision had "become near impossible in the current global situation.”
Server traffic data paints a clear picture of this downward trend from the global health crisis onward:
| Month | Average Monthly Users | Change |
|---|---|---|
| January 2020 | 5,000,000 | N/A |
| March 2020 (WHO Declares Pandemic) | 2,000,000 | -60% |
| July 2020 | 500,000 | -75% |
| October 2020 | 200,000 | -60% |
By October 2020, MC Earth‘s player base had dropped a staggering 96% compared to its early 2020 numbers. Mojang pulled the plug for good by June 30, 2021.
So in many ways, as an innovative AR title fundamentally dependent on real world mobility, the spread of COVID-19 sealed MC Earth‘s fate by also paralyzing people‘s willingness or freedom to head outdoors.
AR Gaming Boom Went Bust, Mirroring 2016 Failures
Industry journalists have compared the demise of MC Earth to the failures of prior location-based mobile game efforts which fizzled out quickly when the initial novelty wore off.
Looking at developer Niantic, we see that 2016 saw AR gaming burst into the mainstream with Pokémon GO and then come crashing down as user retention plunged:
"Pokemon GO boasted 45 million daily users soon after launch but then player interest and engagement steeply declined."
MC Earth seems to have followed a similar trajectory of short-lived hype. By late 2019, signs were already emerging that the AR gaming craze was fading yet again:
- Wizards Unite player numbers dropped 83% within months
- Nintendo quietly cancelled their AR Mario Kart Tournaments
- Leading AR analyst Digi-Capital revoked their optimistic forecasts
When COVID-19 also removed the exciting real-world components of titles like MC Earth, this marked the death knell for current consumer AR gaming ambitions.
Mojang was clearly just the latest casualty of a volatile, still maturing field.
Microsoft Shifting Minecraft Priorities Elsewhere
Owned by Microsoft since 2014 at a $2.5 billion valuation, the tech giant seems to have moved on from the MC Earth debacle towards more profitable Minecraft ventures.
At gaming conferences and showcases, there are no signs of reviving the AR mobile title:
"Instead Microsoft is focused purely on Minecraft spin-offs, with survival action strategy hybrid Minecraft Legends slated for 2023."
They also continue investing in virtual reality and augmented reality Minecraft options via HoloLens and VR headsets:
But these are expensive enterprise solutions unlikely to drive mass consumer engagement like MC Earth aspired to.
Ultimately, Microsoft seems to have cut their losses and moved onto more lucrative channels – not surprising from the world‘s most valuable company. Hoping they resurrect a twice-failed AR experiment out of sheer nostalgia seems naive.
Could "MC Earth 2" Work in the Future?
Personally, I‘m still holding a torch for the first version and heartbroken to have to eulogize it.
But all empirical evidence tells me admitting MC Earth will never return is the sobering reality check we fans need.
Still, it‘s fun to imagine how a hypothetical sequel could actually avoid the pitfalls and possibly thrive:
- Launch post-pandemic when mobility has normalized
- Integrate VR functionality for indoor play
- Mesh geo-location with RPG questing elements
- Support community hosting public MC Earth servers
- Leverage influencer marketing more aggressively early on
That sounds awesome, right!? Okay fine, my gamer imagination got a little ahead of itself there…
But still – while MC Earth itself stays dead and buried forever, the blueprint of AR transforming our physical spaces into playable Minecraft worlds absolutely deserves revisiting once the technology and health landscapes become more hospitable.
The Lasting Impact and Key Takeaway
For me, MC Earth always symbolized the exciting potential at the intersection of gaming and augmented reality. Its failure does not invalidate these possibilities but shows just how difficult capturing that lightning in a bottle will be.
As 5G networks and AR headsets hopefully advance in the 2020s to turn science fiction into reality, I dream of the day kids everywhere look down at the park sidewalks, beaches, and buildings around them to see Minecraft blocks materializing into epic structures before their eyes.
We aren‘t there yet. But MC Earth gave us a fleeting glimpse – and that beautiful vision will continue inspiring future innovation in this space.
Just don‘t expect Mojang to revive this actual app ever again!
