Notes

Minecraft: new Marketplace For Community Creators

Minecraft Marketplace for Community creators By Steffan Powell Newsbeat reporter



10 April 2017



Minecraft is determined to make it easier for users to access content created by community members as well as fans.



Many players have already created complex worlds to explore, thrilling adventures to play, or even alter the game itself to offer brand new experiences within it.



They will now be able sell content in the new Minecraft Marketplace.



"We want to enable entrepreneurs to start businesses on our platform," producer John Thornton says to Newsbeat.



Up to now, those who design adventure maps skin packs for characters or other experiences to play the game aren't allowed to sell them directly to other players.



Official Minecraft content is not sold in this manner. However, some people still earn a living from the game.



James Delaney, is founder of a group of Minecraft creators called Blockworks and he's been able to establish a business despite the constraints.



He is thrilled to be a part of the Marketplace.



"Hopefully it's the beginning of steady and regular income," he tells Newsbeat.



"In the past we've been relying on commissions to be paid, and you're never quite sure when that is."



He is the responsible person for 62 creators working in 20 countries.



Their primary source of income comes from building Minecraft-based content for educational and marketing campaigns.



James "got very interested in" creating Minecraft maps with his online friends, and realised in the following years that it was feasible to earn money from it.



"At at least we know that there is an audience there for our content right now," he says.



"If it succeeds then we will know that we will continue to work on a more consistent and stable basis."



"Also this is content that we can decide to create, instead of being asked to create it, so we can control the content's creative direction."



The marketplace will be available later this year and be available on the Windows 10 and Pocket versions of the game.



This means that the majority of the estimated 120 million players of Minecraft worldwide will have access to the game, although people who play on consoles won't.



John Thornton states, "Our goal is to connect creators and players."



"On Pocket edition it can be difficult to get content onto devices, so it's difficult for creators to showcase their content with the world.



"By connecting creators and the marketplace it will be easier for users to find something they like, then purchase it, and then have it available on their devices."
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The players will continue to be able to create community experiences without the marketplace, with players being able to access them free.



Producers hope that consumers will pay more for content that is easy to locate.



"If you are planning to share content today, you have to put it somewhere on the internet and tell people where to look for it," says John.



"You can use existing social media to do this, but it's more effective to bring it into the game by itself.



"Players, in the context of playing the game they love, can simply find what they want to interact with."



He hopes that the game will help James to start an enterprise that is successful.



The Minecraft team is launching a new service, which has nine creators around the globe.



The central Minecraft team will monitor the adventure maps, skin packs, and other experiences to ensure that they are appropriate for the game's audience.



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