Notes

Minecraft: new Marketplace For Community Creators

Minecraft: New marketplace for community creators By Steffan Powell Newsbeat reporter



10 April 2017



Minecraft hopes to make it easier for players to access of the content created by community creators and fans.



Many players have already created complex worlds to explore, adventure games to play or even modify the game itself to offer brand new experiences within it.



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



"We would like to help entrepreneurs to set up businesses on our platform," producer John Thornton informs Newsbeat.



People who create adventure maps, character skin packages or experiences for the game aren't allowed to sell them to other players.



Official Minecraft content cannot be sold in this manner. However, some players still make a living playing 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.



The Marketplace is a good thing for him.



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



"In the past, we've been relying on commissions to be paid but you're not certain when that will happen."



He's the head of 62 creators who work in 20 countries.



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



James "got very interested in" creating Minecraft maps with his online buddies and realised some time later that it was feasible to earn a living from it.



"At at least we know that there's a market for our content right now," he says.



"If it is successful then we will know that we can continue to work on a steady and stable basis."



"Also it's content that we can decide to create, rather than be asked to make which means we have creative control over it in this regards."



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



This means that the vast majority of Minecraft players around the world estimated at 120 million players, will have access to the game. However, console gamers won't.
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"Our vision is to try and connect our players with creators," says John Thornton.



"On Pocket edition, it can be difficult to transfer content onto devices. This makes it challenging for creators and users to share content they love with the world.



"By connecting creators and the marketplace, it will be easier for users to find something they like, buy it, and then store it on their devices."



Players will be able to access them for free, so people can still create community experiences.



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



"If you wish to share content today, you have to put it online and tell people where to look for it," says John.



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



"Players, in the context of playing the game they enjoy, can just find the things they'd like to interact with."



He hopes that the game will allow people like James to have thriving businesses through the game.



The Minecraft team has launched the new service, which has nine creators from all over the globe.



The central Minecraft team will be monitoring the adventure maps, skin packs and experiences to ensure they are suitable for the audience of the game.



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