Microsoft just unveiled Minecraft Earth, bringing the augmented reality (AR) world of Pokemon Go and combining it with the social creativity of Minecraft. Players will be able to go adventure using their phones, be it Android and iOS, obtaining rare blocks, building huge structures, and collecting unique mobs for their own personal build spaces.
As a free-to-play game, Minecraft Earth raises the specter of some of gaming’s most predatory monetization practices on mobile phones. Thankfully, Microsoft doesn’t seem to be going down the same route other games have.
Speaking to Executive Producer Jesse Merriam, we learned that Minecraft Earth will have some form of funding model but it doesn’t sound as though it’ll be aggressive.