The highly popular video game Minecraft has achieved another sales milestone, being the best-selling video game globally.
At a weekend gathering, Mojang Studios declared that they had sold in excess of 300 million copies all over the world.
It has outsold its nearest competitor, Grand Theft Auto V, which had sold a total of 185 million copies up to August 2023.
Super Mario beats out all other franchises for being the best-selling one: it has moved over 800 million games altogether in its multiple entries.
Since its debut in the 1980s, retro puzzler Tetris has sold in excess of 520 million copies across its different versions.
Tetris has been downloaded and played over 425 million times on mobile devices since its first appearance on iOS and Android in 2008. Many gamers agree that it's the most popular game, with some even going as far as to call it the best-selling game.
However, these variations are quite remarkable when comparing the game mechanics and graphics of Tetris on Ericsson phones from 2001, Tetris Mania on mobiles from 2006, and more recent releases on iOS and Android.
Thus, Tetris is generally regarded as a franchise, whereas the version of Minecraft doesn't vary depending on platform--it's the same game regardless if it's being played on a Nintendo Switch or a mobile device.
Helen Chiang, the head of Minecraft Studios, expressed her amazement at the 300 million figure, which she stated was something no one could have imagined when they were initially setting up their first blocks.
Mojang Studios' Minecraft was initially available as a pre-release, unfinished version in 2009, before the official full release in November 2011.
This game has gained an immense amount of popularity across all age groups, due to its sandbox characteristics: if you can dream it, it can be assembled with the game's blocks, resembling Lego pieces.
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Ricky and Leah have been trying to figure out why everyone is so enthusiastic about Minecraft.
In 2014, Microsoft purchased Minecraft for $2.5bn (£2bn), making it an integral part of their gaming empire. This empire was recently bolstered with a record-setting acquisition of Call of Duty publisher Activision Blizzard for $69bn.
The large-scale success of Minecraft can be attributed, in part, to its widespread presence beyond the game itself.
Google reports that over one trillion views have been tallied for YouTube videos featuring content about Minecraft.
Even the most renowned YouTubers, such as MrBeast and PewDiePie, have recorded videos related to Minecraft at some point.
The impact of the game is far-reaching, even going so far as to provide a platform for articles penned by Jamal Khashoggi, the journalist who was assassinated by Saudi agents back in 2018, that were unable to be published due to government censorship.
The firm's new sales figures represent a significant increase from the 238 million sales posted in April 2021.
In order to reach that figure, it is likely that many people will have to acquire multiple copies.
Mojang discloses its overall sales publicly, yet is not as forthcoming in regards to details on how that total is composed. Nevertheless, we are aware that it incorporates sales from all of its platforms.
This encompasses revenue from its introduction on PC in 2011, and sales on iOS and Android mobile devices, not to mention on PlayStation, Xbox, and Nintendo systems.
It's possible that someone could have acquired the game on PC initially, followed by a version for their Nintendo Switch, and possibly even bought a version for their phone later.
Individuals tend to enjoy utilizing their recently acquired gadgets to participate in games, even if they had previously bought them.
Players can typically maintain their progress, so if they have repurchased the game, players can log in with the same credentials and resume play on varied devices.
Players should check compatibility before playing, as not all devices are able to run the game, which is available in multiple versions on PC.
This could potentially explain the extraordinary success enjoyed by Minecraft in terms of sales.
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