Minecraft is the most popular video game in the world, surpassing Tetris in 2013.
Production:
The game was created in May 2009 by Markus 'Notch' Persson, a Swedish game developer. He also created the company Mojang who owns Minecraft. The first Beta version of the game was released in December 2010, and by January 2011, Minecraft has passed over 1 million purchases. Microsoft bought Mojang in 2014 for $2.5 billion, but reluct to interfere with the games development.
Distribution:
The game can be purchased on practically all gaming devices, such as PC, Mac, Xbox, PlayStation and Nintendo. There is also a pocket edition available for mobile users. The game can be downloaded or physical copies can be bought too. Minecraft Story Mode, a game series where the player can choose the outcome of the story, was released in 2015 on Steam, a video game distribution company. Minecraft can also be found on Steam.
Marketing:
Initially, Minecraft relied on word-of-mouth advertising to spread the game around. Since the game came with no instructions, people had to communicate with each other to understand what to do. Since the games rise to popularity, Since then, Many different advertising strategies have surfaced, such as merchandise, posters, tv adverts and more. Also, Youtube is a primary source of promotion as the Youtube gamers who play Minecraft advertise the game.
Audience pleasures:
- endless
- social
- personalisation (mods, skins, etc)
- educational (education edition)
- friendly
- charitable
- accessible (different modes - creative, survival, adventure, etc)
- communal (online servers)
- creative
- rewarding
- easy to use
- fan dictated
Minecraft does not have a typical player, as they have such a mass audience and a diverse demographic.
Gaming/Minecraft industry:
- the gaming industry is over 50 years old
- Mojang is the company who created Minecraft
- Microsoft bought Mojang in 2014
- Mojang spend £3.6 billion annually to market the game
- Minecraft is rated PEGI 7
- video games are regulated by the VSC (video standards council)
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