Technology News

Mojang, the creative force behind Minecraft, is releasing its next title to the public a week from today on June 3rd. The new game, called Scrolls, is a digital collectible card game, similar in concept to Magic: The Gathering, and therefore a very different beast from the free-form world-building and exploration sim Minecraft. Like Minecraft, it’ll allow users to access the software very early, inviting the to become a key part of the development process. But can lightning strike twice for Mojang?

Minecraft is an unbridled success, by virtually every measure. At I/O, the Play team revealed that it plays a game called “Where’s Minecraft?” which has them find the title in the top grossing list. It’s always near the top, which is a remarkable exception for a game that offers a straightforward, one-time purchase pricing scheme; free-to-play titles rule the charts these days. The mobile version has sold over 10 million copies, Mojang says, and revenue is up well past $100 million at this point.

Scrolls has been in development for a few years now, and after Mojang and Bethesda settled a lawsuit over the name last year, it’s now ready for a public release. It’s hard to imagine Scrolls putting up Minecraft numbers – it’s hard to imagine anything putting up Minecraft numbers – but there’s no question all eyes will be on Scrolls when it drops next week, and the trailer definitely shows something that looks like it could be very addictive fodder for gamers.

Darrell Etherington 27 May, 2013