Always on the occasion of Paris Games Week 2019, we were able to sit with Jaime Limon on the Xbox stand. The marketing director for Minecraft Dungeons told us about the game, but also about the license as a whole.
At E3 2019, Microsoft announced Minecraft Dungeons, a kind of spin-off scheduled for next spring. For our readers who have missed the information, can you detail the concept of the game?
Jaime - Minecraft Dungeons is a totally new game developed by the creators of Minecraft. The action takes place in the universe of the license, but the gameplay is very different from that of the original Minecraft. We created this game when the team based in Stockholm, Sweden, thought a few years ago of new software that could take place in the world of Minecraft and that made sense. They made a list of the games they liked to play and the Dungeon Crawlers stand out. Then they realized a number of projects and then started working on Minecraft Dungeons.
The biggest difference between this new title and the basic game is that we focused on fighting rather than building. So, you will not be able to build or undermine this game. Everything is centered on action and exploration. I think they did a great job designing a game that works very well while maintaining the series' identity, even if it's a new experience with another way of playing.
What sets Minecraft Dungeons apart from classic Dungeon Crawlers? Our innovative features in the program?
We were inspired by several Dungeon Crawlers. There have been some very good ones in the past. But above all, the team wanted to make Minecraft Dungeons an easy-to-play and fun game. Generally, this genre is taken very seriously. The tone is still very dramatic while our game will be a fun experience. There will be jokes and we wanted to keep a very light tone.
Generally, in this type of game, you must choose a specific class from the beginning of the game as a wizard, a warrior ... Then you must keep this class until the end. With (Minecraft) Dungeons, depending on the armor you will use and what items or weapons you have at your disposal, you can change the style of play at any time. So you can start using magic and change in the middle of the adventure to become a warrior for example. You can also replay the first levels by opting for a different style. We like to say that "you are what you wear" in this title.
The last thing, that we wanted to add a lot of depth in the game. Although it will be very easy to start playing, each weapon and each tool can have a special enchantment that grants powers. The combinations are really limitless.
Can you tell us about the multiplayer dimension of Minecraft Dungeons?
We really tried to make the game fun to play with other people. There is obviously solo, but for the multiplayer, we have cooperation. You can start a four-player game online or in multi-local. I think people really like these ways of playing.
Now let's talk about the franchise as a whole. Despite the global success of Minecraft for almost eight years, Mojang has never communicated around a real suite. Are there any particular reasons for this?
For us, Minecraft is a game that does not get old. For the past 10 years, and the ones that will follow, the team has always seen Minecraft as something that will never stop evolving. The latest update "Village & Pillage" has made many changes to the game. In our minds, we do not want to create a Minecraft 2 because the first will probably never be finished. Every time you come back to Minecraft, you'll find new things to do.
But you do not think a Minecraft 2 could attract a whole new community around the license?
I think the current Minecraft should continue to be as it is today. Thanks to the updates, we can bring new perspectives of gameplay. But we are still trying to create new experiences related to Minecraft. There are Minecraft Dungeons, Minecraft Earth ... These are new games that are based on Minecraft and that will allow you to enjoy the license differently. In my opinion, people who do not like the basic game might like Dungeons. It is a game in which there are clear goals and is easy to understand.
Dungeons can really be a good entry point into the universe of the saga. I think we do not need to change anything for Minecraft. The more we create different experiences, the more the universe can gain in wealth rather than change what Minecraft is right now.
As you said, Minecraft has declined into several spin-offs like Minecraft Story Mode and Dungeons. Can we expect other variations in the near future?
Mojang has a big creative team in Sweden. And creative people are anxious to try new things. So, I can tell you that they imagine new concepts all the time. They want to make sure that what we are doing is fun to play and that it makes sense in the Minecraft universe. More importantly, developing a new game is a commitment over many years. So we are very cautious, but we are constantly thinking of making new titles.
I do not know if you can answer this question, but with the arrival of Scarlett, can we expect big announcements from Minecraft? Or should players expect a simple improvement in graphics for the current Minecraft or something more ambitious?
For my part, I work only with the team in charge of Minecraft Dungeons. So I do not know what's going on. I know we're very close to Xbox and Project Scarlett, but I'm not able to tell you what we'll do. They (Mojang) are trying to keep their secrets to themselves and I appreciate that because I can really say that I do not know anything (laughs).
How do you explain the longevity of Minecraft's success? Other games would have seen their community disappear over the years, but this trend does not seem to apply to Minecraft.
I think it's the addition of a lot of elements. First of all, we are always working on new updates to the game. So we are really trying to add new experiences frequently. The most obvious reason is the community. Since we started Minecraft, a number of decisions have kept this success alive and I do not think the studio realized at that time how important these decisions would be. We have always been transparent with the community. We also show things that are not always ready and we collect a lot of opinions. It makes us very close to our fans.
We also allow people to use Minecraft to create other things and monetize them. Mojang has set up a real ecosystem by allowing players to use the game to tell stories, design animations and even create content for the game before selling it. These elements made the difference. I think other studios are paying too much attention to the ways their licenses are used. I do not mean that Minecraft was a revolution, but Mojang has always been very open in allowing people to make money using Minecraft. I think that partly explains this success.
Can you also tell us about Minecraft Earth coming soon on Android and iOS? Do you have any information about the launch period?
The launch of a mobile game is very different and we learned a lot about it. We have a beta in 5 different cities and are progressively deploying early access. We started with 2 cities and it seems to me that today (Wednesday, October 30, 2019) 3 new cities are concerned. This will gradually continue when arriving in smaller cities. However, we want to be sure that before launching the final version, we will be able to segment the experience in several stages. We do not want players to be frustrated because the servers do not hold.
And since the release of Pokémon Go, we have witnessed the arrival of many clones on the market. How will Minecraft Earth be different?
Although I am not directly related to the development team, I can tell you that Minecraft Earth has many elements of the base game. So you will have to build and share your creations via augmented reality. In our case, augmented reality is not an option, but an obligation to play. And the fact that it brings together the creative aspect of Minecraft and the dimension "adventure", I think it makes all the difference compared to other titles of the same kind. This is just the beginning. The team has been working on the game for less than 2 years and what they managed to do in this time frame is remarkable. I repeat,
One last question. Mojang is known for Minecraft, but do you think a major new license could come out of the studio soon?
I do not think Mojang plans to make another license yet and it's not even under discussion. Indeed, we are thinking of other ways to decline Minecraft with a board game and even a film that will arrive soon. There is still a lot we can do with this saga and I do not think the studio feels the need to do anything else. Mojang also tries to ensure that the creativity within its teams continues to grow by supporting certain projects. But for now, the studio is focused on Minecraft.
And do you have any information about the film?
Not really. I just know they announced it and they work hard to make it work. It will be very difficult because Minecraft is already well anchored in the minds of people and telling a story in this universe will be difficult. But we are eager to see what that will give.
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