As Minecraft turns 11, the overall game has been played by 126 million people monthly
Some 126 million persons are playing “Minecraft” monthly and a lot more than 200 million copies of the building and exploration game have already been sold as online play surges through the pandemic.
“Minecraft” turned 11 years old on Sunday, freshened with updates and having closed out 2019 as the utmost viewed game on YouTube.
“Though 2020 has been an incredibly challenging year, we’re proud that Minecraft continues to inspire and connect an ever-growing global community of passionate players and creators,” said Helen Chiang, head of Microsoft-owned Mojang Studios, making the game.
In a move targeted at reaching a younger tech user base, Microsoft about six years back bought the Swedish group behind hugely popular “Minecraft” for $2.5 billion, bolstering its gaming division.
The offer for Mojang gave Microsoft among the best-known video games of all time-one which is played on game consoles in addition to PCs and cellular devices.
Within its recent anniversary celebration, Mojang updated its logo and appearance in the spirit of unifying its studios in Redmond, Washington and Stockholm, according to Chiang.
Video gaming and online viewing of matches at platforms such as Twitch, YouTube and Facebook have already been seeing huge growth through the COVID-19 pandemic, which includes turn off real-world leisure activities and kept billions indoors.
Proof the gaming surge was seen in strong results from Activision Blizzard, which said an average of 102 million persons played its games such as for example “Call of Duty” online in the first quarter of the year.
The business reported growth in titles such as for example “Overwatch,” “Wow” and the favorite color-matching smartphone game “Candy Crush.”
Electronic Arts, meanwhile, saw players flock to online sports in hit franchises specialized in soccer, baseball, and American football.
“They’re gaming so much they are deteriorating their devices,” analyst Ted Pollak of Jon Peddie Research said after the game-makers reported earnings recently.
A written report by Futuresource Consulting called gaming “the shooting star of the entertainment industry” and said it really is likely to boost its share of the sector to 36 percent by 2023, from 31 percent last year.
“Carrying out a record-breaking year in 2019, with gaming software generating $143 billion of consumer spending, the industry is currently poised for further growth, with captive audiences worldwide acting as a catalyst,” the report said.
