In the latest upheaval after its questionable billing alterations, the creators of the ever popular video game, Minecraft, have left Reddit. The Java technology group at Mojang Studios, which is owned by Microsoft, will no longer share updates and details on the Minecraft subreddit. This move from the Minecraft makers is the most recent of several significant acts of rebellion in the recent weeks against one of the internet's most sought-after sites, Reddit.
Mojang Studios, the Microsoft-owned company behind the best-selling video game of all time, Minecraft, quit Reddit following the platform's contested billing changes. A tech lead for the studio commented on the r/Minecraft Reddit community Tuesday, saying the recent alterations introduced by Reddit management led to them no longer considering the platform an appropriate place to post official content or refer their players to. The Java tech team at Mojang won't post any changelogs or details of changes to game versions on the 7.4 million member subreddit. They clarified this decision does not reflect an official policy for all of Mojang Studios, Xbox or Microsoft. In response to a query over whether they'd go back to posting on Reddit if the company changed its API policy, a Mojang developer said they'd have to discuss that if the situation were to change.
The Minecraft makers' departure marks the latest in a chain of protests against the online megasite in recent weeks. Earlier in the month, Reddit declared an amendment to their business model which would considerably raise the cost for third-party developers to utilize their application programming interface (API). Reddit apps are favored by users who use them to surf the site and address accessibility issues, while moderators depend on them to moderate their subreddits, suppress spam accounts, signal risky posts and detect patterns of harassment and abuse. As the modifications are due to take effect this Saturday, over 8,000 Reddit communities took part in a "blackout" by altering their subreddit settings to a fully or partially private mode. High-profile subreddits such as r/Funny (40 million members), r/Music (30 million members) and r/Science (30 million members) were among the participants.
In an interview with CNBC, Dac Croach, one of the moderators of the 37 million member r/Gaming, pointed out that Reddit depends on users and volunteers to generate content and moderate the site. He emphasized how difficult it was to see that Reddit had seemingly ignored the loud voices of these people who put in hours a day to keep the space viable, enjoyable and secure. When contacted, a Reddit spokesperson was not immediately available to elaborate.
Comments