Special Feature - Minecraft

This is Minecraft!

Throughout 2024, Minecraft has been celebrating its 15th anniversary, featuring global initiatives, product releases and much more as fans eagerly await the release of A Minecraft Movie, slated to arrive at cinemas worldwide on 4th April 2025. As brand awareness and engagement continues to build, Federico San Martin, senior director of Minecraft Consumer Products, tells Toy World what’s behind the enduring success of the game and why there are plenty of opportunities still to mine within the content and consumer product spaces.

This year, Minecraft has been celebrating 15 years of gripping adventures, mindblowing creations and a community of fans that has left its mark on every block. The scale of the game’s landmark anniversary celebrations is all the more impressive given its humble beginnings. Created by programmer Markus Persson, a Swede living in Stockholm, Minecraft started life as a pre-Alpha development build called the ‘Cave Game’ on software development forums, and gained popularity from thereon in.

According to Federico San Martin, Minecraft's huge success can be attributed to its unique combination of features and the massive community engagement it enjoys. At its core, the platform offers an open-world sandbox experience that grants players the creative freedom to build, explore and create almost anything they can imagine, while regular updates introduce new features, keeping the gameplay fresh and exciting year-round. The game supports both solo and multiplayer modes, fostering collaboration and competition among players worldwide, and its simple graphics and intuitive gameplay mechanics make it accessible to players of all ages and skill levels, reaching a broad audience. Cross-platform functionality allows fans to connect and play together on various devices, enhancing its appeal even more.

“Many players who grew up with Minecraft continue to play it as adults, driven by nostalgia and the game's lasting appeal,” notes Federico. “Furthermore, Minecraft has significantly impacted popular culture, appearing in various media, merchandise and collaborations, which helps maintain its relevance and popularity.”

To mark the occasion, and to celebrate the players and fans that have turned Minecraft into the gaming and pop-culture behemoth it is today, Mojang Studios created a year-long 15th anniversary celebration called Shape Your World, which has resulted in over 300m views by both new-to-franchise audiences and existing fans. As part of the 2024 campaign, artists from across the globe shared how Minecraft inspires them to #ShapeYourWorld, Which was popular with players.

To further the celebrations, the Minecraft team has dug deep into the moment to expand into new categories such as Consumer Electronics, Food & Beverage, Collectibles, Health & Beauty and Tween Girls. A limited-edition Minecraft x Lush collection, for example, launched globally in Lush stores in August with multiple fresh, handmade beauty products and a collectible gift box inspired by Minecraft adventures. Kellogg's launched a Creeper Crunch Cinnamon-flavoured cereal with Marshmallows earlier this year (consumers can collect up to three free character creator items with each purchase) and Minecraft also recently collaborated with Beats by Dre on a special-edition Solo 4 headphone celebrating the game’s 15th anniversary. The on-ear headphones feature a Minecraft-inspired pixelated design with metallic green hinges and include the iconic Creeper character.

“We are also very proud to work with strong global brands such as Mattel and Lego,” explains Federico. “Both partners have worked with us for many years and have always brought the next level of creativity and collaboration, as well as a unique perspective, to our brand. During our 15 Days of Minecraft campaign, Lego revealed two new products which targeted an adult consumer and celebrated our birthday. Lego also will be delivering content throughout the year to highlight our new assortment of products and engage with fans. Alongside this, Mattel has offered an array of products with 15th anniversary branded packaging and included a creator item in three of its product launches.”

On top of all this, Mattel created a Diamond Level Tuxedo Steve action figure. Specially designed with collectors in mind, the 5.5” scale Diamond Level Tuxedo Steve action figure is sporting a tuxedo with a removable cape and comes with a die-cast pickaxe accessory dipped in real 18k gold. Federico adds:

“Steve’s dapper look from the early days of the game also creates more opportunities for storytelling - and the packaging even resembles a gold ingot.”

He continues: “This is a moment for us to leverage the strength of our brand. We have partners around the world who activated against the 15th anniversary through product and packaging. To reach core fans, Minecraft, for the first time ever, also had a presence at San Diego Comic con earlier this year. Product sold out within minutes each day and fans were immersed in the world of Minecraft thanks to a unique photo opportunity.”

Always looking to build on its success, Minecraft continues its expansion across the globe with new partners signing all the time. Recently, PMI Kids’ World onboarded as a global novelty toy partner, with products launching later this year, and the Consumer Electronics category will expand in Europe through a partnership with OTL, which includes headphones, speakers and other electronics. Other notable new partners in Europe include ToyTopic (Plush), Millmead (Minecraft’s first optical partner in Europe), and Pyramid (Wall Art). In Mexico, Grupo Ruz released a new line of Plush, followed by releases from Cartoonia (Apparel and Accessories), and Mays Zona Libre (Bags and Stationery) in time for back to school in Central America and rest of Latin America. In Peru, Arval will debut Apparel and Accessories in the back half of this year. In Japan, Takarajima has products coming to retail in the Publishing and Novelty categories, and Bandai and Granup will be releasing Bath products..

“The Minecraft Consumer Products programme has been very important to the game's success, significantly contributing to its widespread popularity and cultural impact,” says Federico. “By expanding the brand beyond the digital realm, this programme has introduced a vast array of merchandise, including Toys, Apparel, Publishing and more, allowing fans to engage with Minecraft in their everyday lives. These products serve to reinforce brand loyalty and keep the game relevant. The availability of merchandise also helps attract new players by increasing visibility and generating interest in the game. Collaborations with other brands and franchises further amplify Minecraft's reach and cultural footprint, ensuring that it remains a significant presence in the entertainment industry.”

Retail has also played a huge part in the 15th anniversary celebrations for Minecraft. In the US, the brand is enjoying what Federico calls a ‘huge win’ at Walmart. The Minecraft team, in collaboration with retail partner Retail Monster, secured a 3-Star programme that included feature space across multiple departments such as Toys, Apparel, Home, Collectibles, Seasonal and Personal Care, while internationally, the team was able to secure over 30 retail activations to support the 15th anniversary with retailers including Hamleys, Coppel, Parco, EB Games and The Warehouse.

While 2024 is an undeniably pivotal year for Minecraft, 2025 could, in fact, be its biggest yet, thanks to the release of A Minecraft Movie, the first-ever feature length live adaptation Minecraft film. Landing in cinemas on 4th April, Federico says the film serves as a significant expansion of the Minecraft franchise. By taking the property into the realm of film and entertainment media, the Minecraft universe will be introduced to new audiences who may not be familiar with the game, further increasing the franchise's reach and cultural impact.

“We’re excited to see Jared Hess’ vision of Minecraft come to life with exciting and dynamic performances from the stellar ensemble cast,” Federico says. “And while our intention was always to maximise the Minecraft brand’s category exposure, the movie has accelerated this expansion into new and exciting categories such as Food & Beverage, Health & Beauty, Promotions and other categories.”

In addition, Minecraft has joined forces with Netflix to produce an all-new CGI-animated series set in Minecraft’s blocky universe. The series is currently in development.

“As we continue to celebrate our 15th anniversary, there is so much more coming: be on the lookout for category expansion, territory exploration and new and exciting ways to experience Minecraft in 2024 and beyond,” finishes Federico. “For example, we will be launching our first location-based entertainment experience in Dallas, Texas, in October, which allows fans to embark on an epic quest that will have them mining, scavenging and battling through multiple biomes and dimensions. All that’s left to say is thank you to our partners for all their support over these past 15 years!”