Microsoft has revealed a number of Minecraft related stats this week amid the game's 11th anniversary since the alpha build launched. Chiefly among the game's massive numbers are its recent eclipse of 200 million in sales, while 126 million people play the game every month.
Minecraft surpassed 100 million four years ago, which was also two years after Microsoft acquired Mojang Studios (formerly just "Mojang").
At the time, some wondered whether Microsoft's acquisition of the game and studio came too late. It had already sold more than 50 million copies and people anticipated it was winding down. But two years later it broke triple digits, and now four years since then it's doubled those numbers, revealing a unprecedentledly consistent pace in new players.
The DIY adventure game has actually been surging yet again as of late due to the pandemic. The game enjoyed a 25% increase in new players in April with a massive 40% increase in multiplayer activity.
Microsoft bought Mojang Studios for $2.5 billion in 2014 and has since kept the game running across all platforms, including on rival PS3 and PS4 consoles and even offering a Nintendo Switch version that unlocks Xbox achievements.
The game's popularity will be tested in the months ahead as Hytale, an in-development standalone game born out of Minecraft, is anticipated to grow quite a lot itself. The team behind Hytale, Hypixel Studios, was recently acquired by Riot Games, which likely signals a massive effort to grow the game is ahead. Time will tell whether Hytale can be the Minecraft killer Riot hopes it will be, but these new stats today prove the upstart game has miles to go before it can walk alongside the juggernaut from Mojang.
