Minecraft Launching Third Party Marketplace This Spring

Microsoft's multiplatform sandbox title Minecraft is releasing a new marketplace this spring that allows third party content creators to sell their creations to the game's 100 million plus users. This store will only be available in the newer editions of Minecraft including Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Edition. The older, Java-based versions will not be affected.

Only 9 sellers have been approved so far to offer custom content including new storylines, mini-games, maps, and more through the Marketplace. Other sellers can apply for permission to list their products in the coming months. Players will be able to make their purchases using a new digital currency: Minecraft Coins.

While a Minecraft store already exists, it is limited to items made by the developers themselves. The few third party creators pre-approved so far know what a gold rush they're in for:

“We know the community over there is huge and they’re pretty desperate for this kind of content.” -James Delaney, Managing Director of BlockWorks

First released in 2011, Minecraft gone on the become a cultural phenominan with sales reaching 121 million copies worldwide and monthly unique players hitting 55 million. Microsoft purchased Mohang, the studio behind Minecraft, in 2014 for $2.5 billion.

The Minecraft marketplace will be available in most versions of the game including those for Windows, iOS, Android, Apple TV, Oculus Rift, Gear VR, and Kindle Fire. Notable exceptions include the PlayStation and Xbox versions of Minecraft. The likely explanation of the exclusion is that these platforms run the older, Java based version of the game.

Microsoft understands that Minecraft's core audience skews younger and is taking precautions with the type of content available on its store. While more sellers will eventually be approved onto the store, every piece of content submitted will be reviewed. That will likely mean slow approval times, but on the bright side Microsoft is promising content creators a "more than 50% of revenue" cut of sales.

Minecraft is late to the game in offering player created content for sale. Robolox, another child-friendly blocky sandbox builder released way back in 2006 has seen explosive growth thanks to its marketplace. That growth has also caught the eyes of venture funds hunting for another Minecraft sized payday.

Mojang has announced a public beta launch on Android in mid-April and a Reddit AMA where players can ask questions directly to be hosted on Thursday, 20 April, from 9am - 12pm PST.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition Trailer 2015

More Info: Official Announcement, Bloomberg Article