Support for Minecraft Earth is coming to an end as the augmented reality mobile game will no longer be available for download after June 30. Mojang Studios' take on the popular location-based AR genre originally released in October 2019.

"Minecraft Earth was designed around free movement and collaborative play – two things that have become near impossible in the current global situation," Mojang detailed in a blog post earlier Tuesday morning.

Similar AR games, like Niantic’s Pokemon Go, have also invested in big changes to accommodate stay-at-home orders and restrictive lockdowns amid the COVID-19 pandemic. But while Pokemon Go saw increased player counts in 2020, Minecraft Earth was unable to clear the hurdle of a global pandemic keeping players at home so soon after launch. Mojang said the decision to sunset the game was made to "re-allocate our resources to other areas that provide value to the Minecraft community."

In light of the upcoming closure, a final update was released Tuesday that added all completed and unreleased content currently in development, removed real-money transactions, and drastically reduced ruby costs, the in-game currency of Minecraft Earth. Other final additions include reducing the time required to craft and smelt along with replacing unused crafting and smelting boosts with radius boosts of the same level. Players who sign in from Jan. 5 to June 30 will receive a Character Creator set.

Players with a paid ruby balance will get them exchanged for Minecoins, a different type of in-game currency that lets users purchase items from the Minecraft Marketplace. Additionally, any players who made a purchase at any point in Minecraft Earth will receive a free copy of the mobile version of Minecraft.

On July 1, MInecraft Earth will no longer be up for download and will not be playable by those that already own a copy. Player data will also be deleted, but data related to Character Creator and Minecoin entitlements will stay in place.

"We’re eternally grateful for the amazing talent in the Minecraft community," Mojang said. "This was not an easy decision, and we’re doing everything we can to make sure you get the most out of Minecraft Earth before it sunsets."

Photo courtesy of Mojang Studios

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