Minecon 2019 recap: Minecraft Earth, Minecraft Dungeons & more
Minecon Live 2019, Mojang’s annual celebration of all things Minecraft, kicked off with all sorts of announcements regarding the beloved franchise.
After all these years, it’s hard to believe that Minecraft is still as popular as ever, with the blocky sandbox game having blown up to become a cultural phenomenon. Now, Minecraft is so big that Mojang hosts an annual convention where fans can gather to celebrate.
Minecon Live 2019 was held this weekend and featured all sorts of exciting announcements and reveals. Below are some of the highlights.
Minecraft Earth Early Access date
Minecraft Earth, Mojang’s Minecraft augmented reality game, will launch in Early Access next month. Like other games of this nature, players will be able to “create, explore, and survive in the real world,” as if the real world were Minecraft.
Using your phone, you’ll actually be able to build things in tabletop mode and see them as if they were in the real world. As other players build structures, you’ll be able to see them in the same real-world location and even help create communal structures together.
Minecraft Earth will in specific countries in October with a global release planned by the end of the year.
Minecraft Dungeons cinematic
Mojang shared the opening cinematic of Minecraft Dungeons, an action-adventure RPG clearly inspired by old-school dungeon crawlers.
The cinematic sets the tone for the upcoming game, which will launch in spring 2020.
Minecraft biome winner
During Minecon Live, Mojang hosted a poll to see which biome in Minecraft they would update next. The winner was “mountains.”
The Nether Update
Speaking of Minecraft, the game is getting a major update focused on the Nether.
New Biomes
The update will introduce multiple new biomes, including Soulsand Valley, a new biome full of blue fog and blue flames (created with the new blue fire block); Nettherwart Forest Red, a dense forest designed to get you lost in a field of swirling red particles and dense atmosphere; and Netherwart Forest Blue, which is essentially a variation of Forest.
The update also aims to make the Nether more accessible, so you’ll be able to build a base there, respawn there and even find food.
New Mobs
Two new mobs will be added to the Nether. The first is the Piglin Beast (final name will be voted upon by fans), a hostile mob that can be bread as a source of food in the Nether.
More from App and Gaming News
- Cyberpunk 2077 Update 2.1: Last major update released
- GTA 6: Who is Lucia and what is her role?
- Sonic Dream Team review: A welcome surprise to Apple Arcade
- Is GTA 6 coming to PC at launch in 2025?
- GTA 6 trailer arrives early, confirming 2025 release: Watch it here!
Also coming are Piglins, hostile mobs always on the hunt for gold, which is actually a gameplay mechanic in itself. If you wear gold armor, the Piglins will ignore you. You’ll also be able to barter with Piglins, though Mojang says it will be “far less friendly” than trading with villagers.
New BLock
The new Target Block isn’t really related to the Nether, but it’s still pretty cool. If you shoot the block with an arrow, it will emit a redstone signal, which gets stronger if you hit closer to the bullseye.
There was a ton more announced during Mojang Live 2019, so be sure to check out the full recap here.