Mojang Studios is a huge developer behind one of the greatest games of all time, Minecraft, which means a neverending stream of news and updates throughout time. Today, Mojang hosted Minecraft Live 2021, a stream that condenses some of the biggest Minecraft and Minecraft Dungeons announcements into one entertaining livestream. With the tail-end of the event disappearing in the rearview mirror, we compiled all the biggest reveals and updates from Minecraft Live 2021 right here.
Minecraft Live 2021 included breakdowns of the next major update for Minecraft, the reveal of next year's Minecraft release, the results of the annual Mob Vote, what's next for Minecraft Dungeons, and more. Here's everything that was announced during Minecraft Live 2021.
Available everywhere you play.
Minecraft is an inarguable and complete success. It has sold copies in the hundreds of millions, has a huge following of dedicated players, and lets you unlock your every creative desire. It's also available on every platform imaginable, including Xbox, Windows 10, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS. Play with anyone and play anywhere.
What is Minecraft Live 2021?
Minecraft Live 2021 is the second annual livestream hosted by Mojang Studios, which delivers the year's most important Minecraft-related updates remotely in place of Minecon. Minecraft Live 2020 was where we first learned of the Caves and Cliffs Update, the Howling Peaks DLC for Minecraft Dungeons, and much more.
Minecraft is one of the most successful games of all time, and as such boasts a huge community of dedicated fans that are always looking to what's next for their favorite game. Minecraft Live is where Mojang can drop a ton of information on everything players can expect over the next year and beyond, and Minecraft Live 2021 was absolutely no different. From an update on an imminent release for Minecraft to the future of Minecraft Dungeons, Minecraft Live 2021 was packed from end to end with delicious details and information.
Minecraft and Minecraft Dungeons both deserve a place on the list of best Xbox games and best PC games, so Minecraft Live understandably garners a ton of attention from all over the world. Minecraft Live 2021 gave us an appreciation for the community, inspiration for the next era of Minecraft toys and gifts, new ways to access our favorite games, and much more.
If you couldn't catch Minecraft Live 2021 while it was, you know, live, then you can catch up right above. Otherwise, we have all of the important announcements and reveals below, so you don't miss anything.
What is every announcement from Minecraft Live 2021?
While Minecraft Live 2021 was generally busy from start to finish, moments and sections of the event definitely deserve more attention than the others. Here is every announcement from Minecraft Live 2021, with all the details you need to know.
Minecraft 'The Wild Update'
Arguably the biggest single announcement during Minecraft Live 2021, Mojang Studios has revealed its plans for the Minecraft update following the ambitious Caves and Cliffs Update. The Wild Update is official, and it intends to embrace Minecraft's Overworld with plenty of new features and significant improvements to existing mechanics when it releases sometime in 2022.
The Wild Update is understandably a more minor release than its predecessor, but Mojang still has big plans for what's to come in this release. Including the arrival of the Deep Dark (which was delayed from the Caves and Cliffs Update and expanded upon), frogs, mangrove swamps with a new kind of tree, a focus on parity and feature quality, and more, The Wild Update is shaping up to be an exciting addition to Minecraft.
Details are a little scarce on The Wild Update right now, and that will likely be the case until after 1.18 Caves and Cliffs Update Part Two is officially released. Still, we've compiled everything we know about The Wild Update for Minecraft, and we'll continue to update it as we learn more about what's to come.
Minecraft Dungeons 'The Cloudy Climb'
Minecraft Dungeons also got plenty of love during Minecraft Live 2021. After the conclusion of Minecraft Dungeons' first story arc with the release of the Echoing Void DLC, Mojang teased that something big was still coming to Minecraft Dungeons in the future. Now, we know the next project for Minecraft Dungeons is The Cloudy Climb update, which includes a ton of new features and gameplay for players (and outlines a plan for the future).
In a nutshell, The Cloudy Climb includes two major new features: Seasonal Adventures and The Tower. Seasonal Adventures feature battle pass-like tiers filled with all kinds of rewards for players, including cosmetic goodies and in-game currency, with a paid premium option for additional cosmetic rewards. The Tower, on the other hand, is a challenging multi-level obstacle for players to overcome with generic characters, for a chance at rare and powerful rewards for their main Minecraft Dungeons character. Both of these features aim to offer renewable and rewarding gameplay over time.
The Cloudy Climb update is heading to Minecraft Dungeons with the first Seasonal Adventure during the Holidays in 2021, and there are likely more Seasonal Adventures planned for the future. If you want to learn more, we've compiled everything we know about The Cloudy Climb update for Minecraft Dungeons, which we'll update as we learn more.
Minecraft Live 2021 Mob Vote
The Minecraft community had the opportunity to participate in today's event during the annual Minecraft Live 2021 Mob Vote, which saw three different brand-new mobs on the roster. Whichever mob won the Mob Vote would be added to Minecraft in a future update, and every mob featured possessed unique attributes and behaviors.
This year, the choices were between the glare, which warns when it's dark enough for hostile mobs to spawn; the allay, which will collect dropped items similar to anything you give it and return them to you; and the copper golem, a crafted mob that loves pushing copper buttons in its area.
In the first round of the Mob Vote, the glare was unfortunately disqualified with only 11.2% of the votes versus 37.8% for the copper golem and 51% for the allay. In the second (and final) round between the copper golem and allay, the allay won with 54.3% of the votes, while the copper golem lost with 45.7%. This means that allay will be added to Minecraft in a future update, while the two losing entries are relegated to the secret Mojang Studios mob vault.
Minecraft PC Bundle & Xbox Game Pass
During Minecraft Live 2021, Mojang Studios revealed what's next for Minecraft specifically on PC. Right now, Minecraft: Bedrock Edition and Minecraft: Java Edition are fighting for PC dominance, while also catering to two entirely different audiences. With the new Minecraft PC Bundle announced during Minecraft Live 2021, Mojang is bringing the two versions together in one package. The Minecraft PC Bundle brings both titles to Xbox Game Pass for PC for the very first time, with players being able to use their Microsoft Account to access the games through the Minecraft Launcher, as part of their subscription.
Players have been waiting for Minecraft to come to Xbox Game Pass for PC for a long time now, and now those prayers are being answered. The Minecraft PC Bundle will be available through Xbox Game Pass starting on Nov. 2, 2021. Later in 2022, Mojang intends to release the bundle as a standalone purchase for players, with owners of one of the editions eligible to get the other for free.
Minecraft 'Caves and Cliffs Update'
The Caves and Cliffs Update is arguably the most ambitious update Mojang Studios has ever attempted for Minecraft, with a list of features so long it defies reason. This ultimately meant the update was split into two parts and partially delayed, with the larger second half still in development. During Minecraft Live 2021, Mojang shared its appreciation with the Minecraft community for helping it make the Caves and Cliffs Update better than it ever could have been otherwise with a lovely video.
We also learned that 1.18 Caves and Cliffs Update Part Two is still absolutely slated for release later this year, and will include some new features that Minecraft players who test early builds may already be familiar with. When the update drops later this year, players will be able to take advantage of world blending to seamlessly mix their existing worlds with the brand-new world generation features. Additionally, brand-new cave biomes and structures can still appear within loaded chunks in the world, underneath player builds and explored areas.
The Caves and Cliffs Update will also introduce seed parity for the very first time between Bedrock and Java Editions of Minecraft. This means that world seeds (basically a unique code that every single world possesses) will generate nearly identical worlds no matter where you play Minecraft, with only very minute differences. This is a huge deal, and speaks a lot to the improvements to parity Mojang has made. If you need more info, we've broken down exactly what the Minecraft PC Bundle is.
Minecraft numbers update
Minecraft being one of the most successful games of all time means it boasts some impressive statistics and numbers. During Minecraft Live 2021, Mojang Studios provided an update of where Minecraft currently stands, and the momentum it built up (especially during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic) appears to be continuously growing. As of Aug. 2021, Minecraft had over 141 million monthly active users, which is frankly ridiculous when compared to Minecraft's rivals at the top of the best-selling games list.
The Minecraft Marketplace has also generated over $350 million in revenue for creators so far, driven by how over 67% of Minecraft players use the Marketplace to customize their experience. Minecraft multiplayer also continues to be popular, with over 1 billion hours spent playing online. Finally, Minecraft was the most-watched topic on YouTube in 2020, with over 201 billion accumulated views under its belt. The only number that seemingly wasn't updated during Minecraft Live 2021 was the number of copies solid, which still holds steady at 238 million.
Other announcements
Alongside all the major news during Minecraft Live 2021, Secretlab had an announcement of its own. The popular premium gaming chair company collaborated with Mojang Studios on a Minecraft-themed special edition chair, which is launching now. The chair is built on the latest Secretlab platform, known as TITAN Evo 2022, and is inspired by the Minecraft Creeper. Using Secretlab's signature SoftWeave Plus fabric, the TITAN Evo 2022 Minecraft Edition certainly looks the part, and will likely deliver plenty of quality as well.
Available everywhere you play.
Minecraft is an inarguable and complete success. It has sold copies in the hundreds of millions, has a huge following of dedicated players, and lets you unlock your every creative desire. It's also available on every platform imaginable, including Xbox, Windows 10, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Android, and iOS. Play with anyone and play anywhere.
Everything Dungeons and more.
Minecraft Dungeons has released a ridiculous amount of content since its launch, and now players can gain access to it all in one fell swoop with Minecraft Dungeons Ultimate Edition, a value-driven bundle that includes the base game, all six DLC expansions released so far, and the Hero Pass DLC. If you already own Minecraft Dungeons, you can also get the Ultimate Edition add-on for all the DLC.
