Minecraft China: Free to Play Pocket Edition & PC

Minecraft China Edition is happening as a free to play game headed to the market featuring local language optimization and releasing at no cost. This Minecraft version will be available as Pocket Edition and PC directly targeting that massive market. This is a smart move for Microsoft as it's surely going to open room for them to grow in the region which has been difficult.

The game will feature a one-stop service, Game/Mod Centers, Multiplayer and Cloud Storage. Minecraft will also allow third parties to create content for the game and share in the revenue. The goal is to make a profit by monetizing skins and additional content for the game like they've been doing in the Western market recently. This would include character skins; texture packs, mash-up packs and perhaps distinct content for just the region to enjoy. Minecraft China Edition will be available starting April 10, 2017 and should make a big splash there as it's probably the most popular global game of all time at this point.



I assume this iteration will run the exact same as the local Pocket Edition and Windows 10 though it's not directly specified how different this version will be. With mods being mentioned and Pocket Edition in place these will most likely be Add-Ons. These are like mods and have been around for a short amount of time where players can easily adjust the game's core files or textures. Simply naming them mods in a marketing sense will help the local area understand what exactly they are.

This is a collaboration with NetEase which should also help ease the introduction of the game and it's exciting to see how that market will impact the future of the growing game. The release and announcement was done at Beijing's famous Water Cube as shown above even dressing the building in a colorful grass block array. It certainly looks lovely and bright to showcase what I hope is a strong impact in the region.

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