A new report suggests that a Minecraft real time strategy game is in development. Giant Bomb co-founder Jeff Gerstmann first initiated the rumor. Gerstmann made the comments on his Twitch channel during a recent live stream.
On the stream, Gerstmann stated “There’s a new Minecraft game in development. I don’t know if this is something that will get announced at the Microsoft event but there is a Minecraft spin-off in the works.” It is worth noting that if this is true, this game wouldn’t be the first Minecraft spin-off. Since Microsoft has taken over Mojang, it has worked on multiple games using the license such as Story Mode, Earth, and Dungeons.
Gerstmann continued on to describe this spin-off as an “RTS of sorts,” where you control units from a third-person perspective. Interestingly, despite the game looking unfinished, Gerstmann noted that it looked “far enough along” and that he wouldn’t be surprised if Microsoft announces it soon. So the appearance of a Minecraft RTS at this year’s Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase might not be out of the question.
As for its developer, it doesn’t look like Mojang will take all the responsibility on this one. Instead, Double Eleven, team behind Minecraft Dungeons, is thought to be making it. It has also previously worked on Prison Architect and Crackdown 3.
It makes sense
From a business standpoint, another Minecraft spin-off makes sense. Minecraft Dungeons performed exceptionally well by offering an easier entry into the dungeon crawler genre. Similarly, real-time strategy games are notoriously difficult to get into, so a newcomer-friendly take on the genre could be useful. Plus it aligns with Microsoft’s clear goal of expanding the Minecraft brand further. It’s already recognized as one of the leading sandbox survival games. And it has the potential to become so much more.
