Minecraft fans have been expecting a major update to the game since 2017. But the update has proved “too technically demanding,” Microsoft said Monday, leading the company to cancel production.
The update, called Super Duper Graphics Pack, was expected to bring more with lighting effects like shadows and fog, new motion for some game elements like leaves, and new textures for characters. Microsoft unveiled the “ambitious” update at the massive E3 video game conference in 2017, but on Monday conceded that the update “proved too technically demanding to implement as planned.”
“We aren’t happy with how the pack performed across devices,” developer Mojang said in a company blog post. “For this reason, we’re stopping development on the pack, and looking into other ways for you to experience Minecraft with a new look.”
Minecraft has come a long way since its introduction a decade ago. It remains one of the top paid mobile games in Apple’s App Store and the Google Play Store, while Minecraft: Education Edition has become a popular way to teach kids things like computer coding, engineering, architecture, urban planning and math.
It’s also been used to help kids with autism engage in school and build healthy social lives.
Microsoft, which bought Mojang for $2.5 billion in 2014, celebrated the game’s 10th anniversary in May by revealing Minecraft Earth, a Pokemon Go-style augmented reality phone game.
