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Minecraft: new Marketplace For Community Creators

Minecraft A new marketplace for community creators By Steffan Powell Newsbeat reporter



10 April 2017



Minecraft wants to make it easier to access content made by community members and fans.



Many users have already created complex worlds to explore or adventures to take pleasure in, or modified the game to provide new experiences.



Now they'll be able to legally sell the content through the game itself the new Minecraft Marketplace.



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



The creators of adventure maps, character skins or experiences for the game are not allowed to sell these to other players.



Only authentic Minecraft content could be sold this way, but that hasn't stopped some people making a living from the game.



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



The Marketplace is a welcome development for him.



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



"In the past, we relied on commissions to come into our businesses, and you don't know when it will happen."



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



Their main source of income is from the creation of Minecraft-based content for marketing and educational campaigns.



James "got quite into" making Minecraft maps with his online friends and realized in the following years that it was possible to make a living from it.



"At least we know there is a market for our content right now," he says.



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



"Also it's content we can choose to make instead of being asked to create. We have creative control over it."



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



It means that the majority of the estimated 120 million players of Minecraft worldwide will have access to it, although people who play on consoles won't.
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John Thornton states, "Our vision is for us to try and connect creators and our players."



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



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



People will be able to build community experiences outside of the marketplace, with users having access to them for no cost.



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



John says, "If you want people to share content right now, you need to put it on the internet and inform them of the location."



"You can utilize existing social networks to do this, but it's more efficient if you incorporate that into the game."



"Players who are in the midst of playing the game they love, can just choose what they'd like to do."



He hopes that the development will allow people like James to create successful businesses through the game.



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



The adventure maps, skin packs and experiences will be scrutinized by the central Minecraft team to make sure they're suitable for the game's audience.



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