Minecraft Earth AR mobile game is going to shut down on 30 June the company has announced. Microsoft had designed the game around free movement and collaborative play – two things that just have not been possible due to the restrictions imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic.
The game was launched to take on Niantic’s Pokemon Go which was a rage amongst the youth when it was launched. Pokemon Go required people to explore various virtual locations in the real world and provided them with the opportunity to meet other players and play together.
Download and updates to be stopped
“We have made the difficult decision to re-allocate our resources to other areas that provide value to the Minecraft community and to end support for Minecraft Earth in June 2021,” the Minecraft team said in a statement on Tuesday.
“On June 30, we will discontinue all content and service support for the game”.
After the shutdown, players will not be able to play or download Minecraft Earth on their mobile devices and updates for the same will be stopped.
“On July 1, we will delete any Minecraft Earth player data unrelated to Character Creator and Minecoin entitlements,” the company said.
The end of the journey
Microsoft first unveiled Minecraft Earth in May 2019. Due to the popularity of Minecraft for Windows, the mobile version garnered fans from across the globe. For players who have already made in-game purchases, the company said that they’ll be reimbursed with ‘Minecoins’.
“All players with paid ruby balances will be granted Minecoins, which you can use on the Minecraft Marketplace to purchase skin and texture packs, maps, and even minigames,” the team informed.
If you’ve ever made a purchase in Minecraft Earth, you will receive a free copy of Minecraft (the Bedrock version) so you can get a fresh start while grabbing some goodies from the Marketplace.
“We’re eternally grateful for the amazing talent in the Minecraft community. This was not an easy decision, and we’re doing everything we can to make sure you get the most out of Minecraft Earth before it sunsets,” the team noted.
