Microsoft's Phil Spencer Not Sure if Minecraft Sequel Makes Sense

[Olas]

I think he's absolutely right, Mincraft 2 doesn't make sense.

What does make sense is DLC expansion packs that add new items and content within the existing world. Why make your customers pay $20 for a copy of Mincraft when you can get them to pay $80 through the course of a ton of shitty $5 item packs.

The problem with that is that Minecraft already has a huge community of texture creators and modders doing all this for free. I can't see any way for Microsoft to cut that off without royally pissing people off.

After Windows 8 and XBOne, I don't think pissing people off is anything they actually care about. They are going to need to do something to justify that $2 billion purchase. Maybe it won't be cutting off mod support, but I won't be shocked if it is.

Actually I think Microsoft is more concerned with its image than ever, or at least fixing the disparity between them and Google/Apple. I see ads for Microsoft products all the time on TV and they're giving away their new OS for free. That doesn't seem like the behavior of a company that just doesn't give a shit what people think.

Maybe it'll just charge for these things on the console versions, further proving that consoles are inferior.

 

[Rozalia1]

Actually I think Microsoft is more concerned with its image than ever, or at least fixing the disparity between them and Google/Apple. I see ads for Microsoft products all the time on TV and they're giving away their new OS for free. That doesn't seem like the behavior of a company that just doesn't give a shit what people think.

Maybe it'll just charge for these things on the console versions, further proving that consoles are inferior.

Microsoft is too damaged to stay heel, they got to go face and spend some time in the midcard to earn that respect and interest from the crowd back. So I'd agree that they'll be changing it up.

You just can't resist can you?

 

[Pirate Of PC Master race]

Whoa whoa whoa.

Since when did "sense" came before "opportunity to make more money"?

It is not a question of why, but when.

 

[direkiller]

The past few updates have been rather lackluster in my opinion. I wonder if Microsoft plans to up the content.

That was one of the worries I had when Microsoft bought Mojang, as I'm always wondering if Microsoft will do what Mojang did originally... ie. mojang sold a game, you bought it ONCE, Mojang would continually improve it with updates which weren't sold as DLC.

I admit, if mojang sold their updates as DLC, like if the horse update costs $5, I probably would've been stupid enough to buy it. But it would've changed my state-of-mind towards the overall experience.

If the update was free, and there were bugs, I'm fine with it.
If the update was paid DLC, and there were bugs, I'd deliver them bloodied spleens and angry letters in the mail.

It's kinda hard to do that with minecraft.
Most people tend to play on private servers/host games. So it's not like you can lock people out of finding horses if they don't have the DLC pack the server has.

And if they do it on consoles do they go the Fable route and make you match up your DLC? because that worked out so well

just use the Host DLC? Most of the people don't need to buy it then, but it still makes it seem like a cash grab punishing console users.

 

[AmazonianBeauty]

Whatever happened to Inimitability, one of a kind, and all that jazz?
I like Minecraft because it's something unique and despite its bugs and imperfections, is quite a fun game.
By all means add features which would improve and benefit players' experience of the game, but for goodness sake, don't produce a sequel.

 

[blackrave]

It doesn't
There is so much that can be done with MC
Increase world height (via something similar to Cubic Chunks mod)
Make world that functions as planet (as in, you can walk/build around it)
Optimize it as much as you can
WORK OUT BUGS
etc.

There is little limit to what can be currently done with MC

 

[Jiggle Counter]

Whoa whoa whoa.

Since when did "sense" came before "opportunity to make more money"?

It is not a question of why, but when.

Step 1 - Buy Mojang for $2,500,000,000

Step 2 - ???

Step 3 - Profit

 

[Metadigital]

How does a version of Minecraft in a Microsoft engineered engine not make sense? This is really the only reason you'd spend $2,500,000,000 on the franchise. I don't get the reluctance to do this at all. It would sell so well.

 

[Jsan the Candyman]

You mean that one that massive expanded the size of biomes, thus finally making some decent looking area generation.

How is it decent looking? They switched to the fracture terrain which makes every biome look exactly the same. The terrain before that was fluid and interesting because Mojang didn't merge biomes with terrain height and cave generation. Now the random terrain heights are preset so we get the exact same biomes over and over again, just different borders. Also, the cave system is a mess. It's just a spaghetti of caves that all look the same. Overall, the terrain is just boring.

And I loved to explore that old terrain because you never knew what you would find. They took the exploration from the game.

 

[Silverbane7]

i expect there will be a minecraft2 eventualy...

it will likely be xbox1 and pc only (though they probably will release it on xbox1 first, after all, everything HAS to be on there first according to microsoft.)
it will very likely not be java based (and that is probably a good thing *shrug*) but at the same time, will also be propriatary and locked (so modding will be severely hampered if not impossable) so only microsoft can change things.

on windows phone it will likely have in app pruchases for things like blocks and armour/wepons and both phone and xbox1 editions will likely feature their own Microsoft-Realms support with monthly subs and upgradeable packages. and this will likely be the ONLY way you can have a server. sure you may be able to 2-4 player on xbox1 but that will be co-op only. want to play with your mates? microsoft-realms will have your back *only $39.99 a year or $5.99 a month...players must have a gold subscription to be able to connect to Microsoft-Realms, terms and conditions apply*

what i HOPE is, that they just leave the old minecraft alone and just get everyone that wants the
*new*shiny*32bit-texture*upgraded*non-java
version to buy new Microsoft-Minecraft2 accounts *only £29.99 per account* and leave the old farts like us who like the older style alone. im happy to rot at 1.7.10 or even 1.8ish and never upgrade past that so far.

 

[prpshrt]

Why is there any mention of a sequel for this game...? Makes zero sense.

 

[DeimosMasque]

Minecraft is less a game than it is a platform, so a 'sequel' isn't going to make as much sense as an engine overhaul. What Microsoft needs to do before trying to unpack that monstrous notion is push for a proper modding API on the PC while the console catches up to current. Then figure out a good way for console users to access the Minecraft modding community, at least the bits that aren't tearing each other's throats out, so they can /at minimum/ play with mods.

It isn't going to be an easy ball of yarn to unwind, but I think it can be done and might even be worth it.

Not that the console community isn't already doing some fairly cool stuff on their own:

Spoiler

I'm not going to lie. That was amazing and gave me a Whovian-Gasm... and then made me feel incredibly lame because the best I've ever done is made an okay look house that had a connecting stone room that lead to a nice little mine I made.

 

[BlackJesus]

I hope they'll just keep iterating on the game like Mojang did. I still play Minecraft occasionally, but it doesn't really matter to me what they do anymore. I'll just keep following Notch. He has made enough money to make sure the next 6 generations of his family don't have to work, so I hope he'll put some of that money to good use in a new game.