Even after 16 years, Minecraft still has a clear purchase price. This price is upheld, and they are convinced of it, as the deal is unbeatable.
When looking at the gaming industry in recent years, there have been many changes. Full-price titles are becoming rarer, and large online games often rely on a free-to-play model, where various premium content can be purchased in addition – with the possibility of spending significantly more money than one would have on other games.
However, there is one game that has maintained its original pricing policy even after 16 years: Minecraft. The developers even boast about it and say: “This is the best deal in the world.”
What was said? In an interview with IGN, Ingela Garneij (Executive Producer for Minecraft Vanilla) was asked why Minecraft sticks to a “Buy to Play” model and does not follow other games. She said:
Yes, the way we created the game, that doesn’t really work for us. I mean, we created the game for a different purpose. Such monetization doesn’t work for us. There is a purchase of the game, and that’s it.
It is important for us that our game is accessible to as many people as possible. Therefore, I think one of our core values is that it should be available to everyone. That’s the best deal in the world.
What is the truth behind the statement? Although this statement is certainly a bit exaggerated, the truth cannot be denied. For the 20 € to 30 €, which one paid for Minecraft at purchase, one received a lot of content. Those who compare the game with the content from 16 years ago will find few parallels left. Not only have there been completely new dimension layers, but also numerous new mechanics, hundreds of new blocks and NPCs.
If you look around a bit, you will find many players who have spent several thousand hours in Minecraft – for them, it must have truly been one of the “best deals in the world.”
Additionally, it seems that Minecraft is far from finished. The game is constantly being developed. Even if you often have to wait several months for updates, there are always new features and improvements – such as a huge graphics update or soon the ability to travel on flying mounts.
Minecraft will likely go down in history as one of the most successful video games of all time – and one that has remained relatively consistent in its pricing over nearly two decades, despite having new patches and improvements every year.
What is your opinion on Minecraft and its pricing? Is 30 € a fair price for the amount of gameplay you received? Or are those at Mojang “just crazy” for not getting significantly more money out of Minecraft?
