MineCon 2017 Moves To Livestream, Mojang To Host Smaller ‘Minecraft’ Community Events

Mojang’s MineCon convention is getting a serious change in venue for 2017. The Minecraft developer announced a global livestream event in place of a weekend long convention with local community-led events to pick up the slack for in-person get-togethers.

MineCon Earth will take place Saturday, November 18 with a 90-minute livestream that can be watched from the comfort of your home or at special screenings at participating theaters. While the community is trying to sort out their disappointment, Mojang is selling the move as an opportunity to avoid the hassle of buying tickets that sell out instantly, long lines, and the likelihood the convention will not take place anywhere near some fans.

The Minecraft costume contest has been a popular part of MineCon and Mojang will manage to work that into the livestream. The developer says it costumes will be a “big part” of the show and will have details on how to submit costumes soon.

Additionally, MineCon Earth goodies and merchandise that would previously only be available at a convention will be available to purchase from select partners this year. The merchandise and cost have not been announced yet.

There’s also been no mention of in-game cape distribution yet.

While a proper MineCon will not happen for 2017, there will be many community events in different locations. Mojang is partnering with Minefaire, Minevention and Blockfest to throw in-person Minecraft events featuring tournaments, costume competitions, the opportunity to meet YouTube personalities, and more.

Minefaire has upcoming events planned for Washington, D.C. and Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in the United States currently. The other two do not have a schedule of events or locations yet.

The first MineCon took place in 2010 as a small gathering in Bellevue, Washington, before blowing up the following year with an event in Los Vegas. The convention has alternated between locations in the United States and Europe since then, with the 2014 convention canceled. The 2016 MineCon in Anaheim, California, sold 12,000 tickets and featured costume contests, panels with popular Minecraft YouTube personalities, and the introduction of new features to the game.

While it is disappointing for Minecraft fans that MineCon 2017 will not be a live event, it was likely a livestream or nothing. The late announcement combined with the lack of some details indicates Mojang is attempting a compromise this year to its convention.

The developer is currently busy with the Better Together update to bring the console, mobile, and Windows 10 PC version together for launch this fall. Beta testing for the update just began with the expectation that it launches sometime around the Xbox One X release in November.

What do you think about a livestreamed MineCon Earth versus an in-person convention? Sound off in the comments below.

[Featured Image by Mojang]