Mojang says no more advertising in Minecraft

Minecraft brands
No more brands in Minecraft.

Sorry brands: Mojang says you can no longer use hit game Minecraft to engage with your carefully targeted audiences. The new ruling applies to creating Minecraft mods or servers specifically to promote a product (like a replica of a restaurant for example).

"That doesn't feel right, or more importantly, fun," explained Mojang communications director Owen Jones in a blog post. However, existing server and video monetisation options for agencies and corporations won't change.

Fans are still free to build a Minecraft version of a Game of Thrones map (for example), Jones says, but if HBO did the same thing with the express intention of promoting its fantasy epic television show then that wouldn't be allowed under the new Commercial Usage Guidelines.

Brand on the run

There's nothing to worry about here unless you are a brand of note or one of their ad agencies - for players, it should just mean less overt promotion for companies and products out in the worlds of Minecraft.

With more than 100 million registered users it's easy to see why the game would attract advertisers, but custom-made servers and maps are now going to be out of the question, like this working mobile phone built to promote Verizon.

One of the next steps for Minecraft will be out into the wilds of virtual reality. We've already seen a demo of a Minecraft map projected into three dimensions by a HoloLens, and there are plans in the works for a Gear VR edition.

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David Nield
Freelance Contributor

Dave is a freelance tech journalist who has been writing about gadgets, apps and the web for more than two decades. Based out of Stockport, England, on TechRadar you'll find him covering news, features and reviews, particularly for phones, tablets and wearables. Working to ensure our breaking news coverage is the best in the business over weekends, David also has bylines at Gizmodo, T3, PopSci and a few other places besides, as well as being many years editing the likes of PC Explorer and The Hardware Handbook.