Announced during E3 two years ago, the Minecraft Super Duper Graphics Pack would introduce higher textures and other graphical improvements to the massively popular block-building game. The update was initially meant to launch in 2017 but unfortunately saw several delays.

It seems these delays did not help Mojang bring the project to completion. Mojang announced the cancellation today in a blog post, stating that "the pack proved too technically demanding to implement as planned".

The studio went on to say "We realise this is disappointing to some of you – there was a lot of enthusiasm for Super Duper from inside and outside the studio – but unfortunately, we aren’t happy with how the pack performed across devices. For this reason, we're stopping development on the pack, and looking into other ways for you to experience Minecraft with a new look".

Continue reading...

Minecraft in VR is here! On August 15th 2016 we'll release a free update to Minecraft Windows 10 Edition beta which will let players experience the world of Minecraft through Oculus Rift.

Continue reading...

Minecraft Realms for Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Edition: Beta lets you and your friends access your own world wherever there's a wifi connection. It's always online and only those you invite can join. You don't even need to be playing on the same type of device! Thanks to Xbox Live, players can join your world and earn achievements on iOS and Android devices, Windows 10 machines or even Gear VR.

Continue reading...

MInecraft developer Mojang has officially banned in-game advertising and promotion in its latest set of commercial usage guidelines.

Companies and other commercial or political entities can no longer market content unrelated to Minecraft in the game, either by building ads inside it or running mods or servers dedicated to promoting a product or service.

"We want to empower our community to make money from their creativity," said director of creative communications Owen Hill, "but we're not happy when the selling of an unrelated product becomes the purpose of a Minecraft mod or server."

Continue reading...

PvP arena combat is coming to Minecraft in an official capacity, Mojang has announced.

Console versions of the game will soon gain a mode called Battle, a "last-Minecrafter-standing deathmatch" that pits players directly against one another.

Taking place in specially-designed arenas, each with different rules and hazards, the arena mode is designed to be fast-paced and tactical, with loot offering an added risk/reward mechanic.

Continue reading...

We’re excited to announce that Minecraft: Gear VR Edition is here! We worked closely with the Minecraft team to let you step inside your Minecraft world with friends. Now you can build, explore, battle mobs – and all your other favorite Minecraft activities – with the power of mobile virtual reality.

Continue reading...

Minecraft is now playing host to artificial intelligence programs in an attempt to improve machine learning.

Operating out of a New York-based Microsoft Research lab, Project AIX is an attempt to train an artificial intelligence to learn naturally in a complex world.

The program spawns into Minecraft knowing nothing about its environment, but learns based on interactions.

Continue reading...

Mojang is beefing up Minecraft's combat in today's 1.9 "combat update."

The biggest change is the addition of dual-wielding, which for example lets players carry a torch and a weapon to avoid Doom 3-ing through dark areas, or with the new shield item, engage in sword-and-board style gameplay.

Weapons have new attacks - a sweep for swords, a crushing blow for axes - and attacks now operate on a cooldown timer, making fights more tactical.

Continue reading...

Hear what educators are saying about using Minecraft to transform classroom learning.

Continue reading...

Microsoft and Mojang have teamed up with non-profit computer science organisation Code.org to teach coding with Minecraft.

The three have created a coding tutorial using a 2D approximation of Minecraft, where players must assemble blocks of code to accomplish in-game tasks.

It is designed to teach students six and over the basics of coding, using a visual interface similar to various block-based game creation tools.

Continue reading...

It’s mythical Greece at your thumb sticks in this new Minecraft Mash-up pack! Greek gods, fantastical creatures and epic locations are all sculpted into our dedicated game world. We've even made a bespoke texture set and themed UI, and wrapped it all up with an orchestral soundtrack. This is the stuff of legends! Go make your own!

Continue reading...

Australia's love affair with mining is well documented, so it may come as no surprise that its government is very eager to address some scientific inaccuracies that may have made their way into the public's consciousness via Microsoft's Minecraft.

Seemingly concerned that a new generation of young Australians may actually attempt to make armour out of diamonds, Geoscience Australia has released a public service announcement to set the record straight.

"Cobblestones do not form from water and flowing lava", cleared up the Australian government. And don't attempt to create a stone by putting cobblestones in a furnace, as "it would, in fact, achieve nothing but a very warm rock."

Continue reading...

A Minecraft exhibition will be a part of the Auckland War Memorial Museum’s commemorative Anzac Day programme marking the centenary of the Gallipoli Landings.

Gallipoli in Minecraft will give families a chance to explore the Gallipoli campaign through the game when the exhibition opens on Friday April 24.

Gallipoli was created in-game over the course of a year by students from Alfriston College in Auckland.

Continue reading...

Minecraft players can bring their favorite characters from The Simpsons to life in The Simpsons Skin Pack, the newest downloadable content for Minecraft Xbox 360 and Xbox One editions, available for $2.99 USD. Create your own blocky version of Springfield with the entire Simpsons family—Homer, Marge, Bart, Lisa and Maggie— plus 19 of Springfield Elementary School’s beloved characters from the Emmy Award-winning animated show and the longest-running scripted show in television history.

Continue reading...

Around 125 people have recreated about 70 percent of Game of Thrones' Westeros in Minecraft.

The project, called WesterosCraft, first caught the public's attention in early 2013. Since then, the team has been very busy.

“I would say the world is at around 70 percent completion," project lead Jacob Granberry told Kotaku. "Since we last spoke, we’ve developed a custom launcher for the game that comes packed with our WesterosBlocks mod which includes over 50 new custom blocks and textures specifically made for our server."

Continue reading...

Telltale has announced that it's collaborating with Mojang to create Minecraft: Story Mode.

The game will be made with the help of the Minecraft community, said Telltale.

"We’re not intending on creating an 'official' story for Steve, or explaining the world of Minecraft in detail. It will be a cool game," said Mojang.

Continue reading...

Minecraft: PlayStation Vita Edition will be available to download from October 16, developer 4J Studios has announced.

The Vita edition is Cross-Buy and therefore free for anyone who has already bought Minecraft on PlayStation 3 (but is not free for those who have the game on PlayStation 4).

"We're now working on an update for all Minecraft console editions to move up to the equivalent of Java 1.6.4 version," 4J Studios explained via Twitter. "It may take some time!"

Continue reading...