Mojang Studios dropped a new game in the Minecraft universe in 2023, called Minecraft Legends. They teamed up with Blackbird Interactive—the folks behind Hardspace: Shipbreaker and Homeworld 3—to create something fresh. The goal? A real-time strategy game that was easy for beginners but still fun for everyone.

Minecraft Legends mixed action gameplay with classic RTS combat. Think of it like Brutal Legend, but in the Minecraft world. Players controlled Minecraft mobs, sending them to battle against Piglin armies and protecting villages from attacks. Unlike the original Minecraft, this game had a story mode, which lasted about 10 hours.

But even with its unique idea, Minecraft Legends didn't catch on. Reviews were just okay, and the Minecraft community wasn't too excited. Some players liked the gameplay, but others found it too repetitive and lacking content. Mojang decided to stop supporting the game on January 10, 2024, less than a year after its release.

Even though Minecraft Legends wasn't a hit, Mojang and Microsoft shouldn't stop making Minecraft spin-offs. There’s still plenty of potential for new ideas!

Minecraft Spin-Offs Haven't Had the Best Track Record

Minecraft is one of the biggest games ever, but spin-offs? Not so much. Mojang has tried multiple times to expand the Minecraft universe with new games, but most of them didn’t really take off.

The first big spin-off was Minecraft: Story Mode in 2015. Made mostly by Telltale Games, it was a story-driven adventure, kind of like The Walking Dead or The Wolf Among Us, but much more family-friendly. Two seasons came out, with the second one launching in 2017. While some players enjoyed it, most saw it as one of Telltale’s weaker games.

Then came Minecraft Earth, Mojang’s augmented reality mobile game. It was kind of like Pokémon GO, where you had to go outside to play. But players didn’t like its heavy microtransactions and lack of updates. Plus, the COVID-19 pandemic hit, making an outdoor game tough to play. Minecraft Earth was shut down just two years after launch.

One spin-off that did well was Minecraft Dungeons. This game took inspiration from Diablo but made it easier to play. Fans liked it, and Mojang kept it alive with six DLCs and even an arcade version. But support for Minecraft Dungeons ended in October 2023, only three years after its release.

Minecraft Spin-Offs Deserve Better Support

The problem isn’t that players don’t want Minecraft spin-offs. The issue is that Mojang doesn’t support them enough or make them strong enough in the first place.

Every time Mojang tries a new Minecraft game, they seem to move on too quickly. Even when a game does well—like Minecraft Dungeons—they still abandon it after a few years. If Mojang really wants to succeed with spin-offs, they need to:

  • Make sure the games are high quality
  • Keep updating them like they do with Minecraft itself

If Mojang took the time to develop a great Minecraft 3D platformer, a third-person shooter, or even a puzzle game, those could do way better than Minecraft Legends. Players want more Minecraft games—they just want good ones with long-term support!

Mojang Should Keep Experimenting

Minecraft Legends didn’t work out, but that doesn’t mean Mojang should stop trying. The Minecraft universe is massive, and there’s still room for amazing new games.

If Mojang can learn from past mistakes and put more effort into future projects, their next spin-off could be a true hit. Until then, players will just have to wait and see what’s next for the Minecraft franchise!

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