Minecraft Adds a Shop for Mobile Addons

For many, the biggest limitation of Minecraft's Pocket and Windows 10 Editions has been the lack of community material. What good is playing on your smartphone when you're not able to use the new texture pack that you saw on your PC? This is your chance to try it. Microsoft and Mojang are launching an online Marketplace that lets Pocket and Windows 10 gamers download content from community creators, including textures, skins, and entire worlds. Instead of paying for paid content, you can buy "Minecraft Coins" which permit you to purchase the add-ons that you desire. The idea is to allow producers to determine "flexible prices," although it also can disguise the worth of the items you're purchasing. It's probably not the best idea to allow children to have unlimited access, for example.

The Marketplace only allows creators with registered businesses, which means it's not going to take your just-for-fun project. The Marketplace permits creators with registered businesses to receive 70% of the profits. This is similar to typical mobile app stores. Although they might not make as much directly, a merchant who is successful will still earn an impressive amount of money.

Access to the Marketplace will be limited at first. A public Android beta will launch in the middle of April, but there isn't any creator content -- that must wait until a formal launch later in the spring. Still, this should be able to bridge the gap between your Minecraft experiences on computers and mobile devices.

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