Outside of Tetris, Minecraft is the #1 best-selling game with over 300 million copies sold. Over the years, as a result of partnerships and collaborations with companies and video games like Lego, Pac-Man, Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, and lots more, its popularity has grown like bonemeal on a sapling.

BY: IKE WOODBURY – EDITOR

However, as Minecraft’s fame rose, futility followed— the futility of their efforts to meet their fans’ expectations. This has been evident in the recent updates of the game. Ever since the long-awaited announcement of the Caves & Cliffs update a few years ago, Mojang, the company behind Minecraft, has fallen through the entity blocks on their promises repeatedly (They really need to stop building with gravel). And now, as if they’ve been working as hard as bedrock, they’ve lightened their workload to maximize their profit for the least amount of time and effort that they have ever given to the game’s legacy.

Official logo of “A Minecraft Movie”
Credit: Mojang Studios

This greed has only carried over into the production of A Minecraft Movie. Despite being publicized on February 27 of 2014 by original Minecraft creator, developer, and designer, Markus Alexej “Notch” Persson, the timing of the filming is a bit too convenient. In the past four years, there have been more than 10 video game movie adaptations released, all at least slightly successful, though many hugely. As soon as the first movie of this type generated a single penny in revenue, video game-related films have seemingly been released non-stop by Hollywood producers. They’re cashing in on an untapped market of consumers, causing them to rush and release unprepared, yet somehow consistently profitable, movies.

My prediction is that A Minecraft Movie will be nothing more than the latest addition to a long line of cash-grab gaming films that disappoint their long-time and loyal players. This notion is furthered when considering the lackluster attempts at “game-changing” updates in recent years. If Mojang doesn’t want to put effort into their game, what should that tell their fans about the movie?

Speaking from a similar perspective, Junior Ethan Burt, a Minecraft veteran, details what he’s hoping for in A Minecraft Movie, saying,“I have no expectations. I’m just going to go into it knowing that it isn’t a faithful adaptation.”

Official poster of “A Minecraft Movie”
Credit: Mojang Studios

Of course- everybody’s going to see it. Heck, it’ll probably be one of the top three films of the year! Undeserved, mind you— but, still, a top three film! I’ll probably even see it on opening day!

Nevertheless, the final question remains: Will A Minecraft Movie be the disappointing conclusion to which all evidence leads? Or is there a chance that the movie for a game that hundreds of millions of people grew up on might just deliver on the gaming magic it had so long ago? The answer? Only time will tell.