Here’s 15 Reasons Why Minecraft Is So Expensive

Share:

Minecraft has been around for quite some time now, and still, even after all this time, we still manage to pay for it even though we bought the original version of the game years ago. Objectively speaking, Minecraft isn’t all that expensive since the base version of the game only costs 30 USD, two or even three times more than other popular titles.

But if we consider Minecraft the most popular game in the world, having sold more than 238 million copies worldwide, it’s easy to see why people might think it is. Not every country has the same buying power, so some might view it as cheap and others as expensive. Since you’re likely to not just pay for the game, in the end, let’s dig into the 15 reasons why Minecraft is so expensive.

1. It’s Trendy

If something is popular, the price will go up. The latest price increase of Minecraft happened in 2011, and Minecraft’s resurgence happened in 2018, but I’m not talking about prices being high for the game itself. Instead, I’m talking about all the different spin-offs that came out as the demand for bringing new content grew higher.

Because Minecraft became popular again, there was a need to create new things, and new things cost money. Mojang could have easily made these things available and for free, but they have to bring ”food to the table” and pay their employees for working hard on those spin-offs.

2. It has add-ons

Add-ons are another reason why Minecraft costs can stagger. If you want to tweak your Minecraft experience even a bit, you’ll have to resort to add-ons that need to be developed and hence cost money.

Some might be displeased with the store’s selection of add-ons, but they’re excellent otherwise, and you can’t find most on the internet for free. Since they’re the sole supplier of these add-ons, Mojang can easily charge more if they’d like to, but they don’t. It’s just that these costs can stagger up.

3. It has plenty of spin-offs

Mojang made dozens of spin-offs to keep the game fresh and content interesting, the latest announced title being Minecraft Legends. Even though these spin-offs revolve around the same game, they are separate from the original Minecraft.

Using that logic, it’s no wonder that Minecraft can cost you a lot of money even though the base game is relatively inexpensive, proportionate to whether you come from a first or third-world country.

RELATED:

Here’s the Best Minecraft Version for Mods in 2024

4. A large corporation owns it

Sure, Mojang can make everything free and reduce the game’s price even further, but that would mean that development would cease. It might also be that Mojang is under pressure from Microsoft to raise the prices and keep making content that you’ll have to pay for in the end, but we can’t know for sure.

There’s no way around it; large companies will expect you to pay for their products. You could easily get a cheaper parody of Minecraft but would the feeling stay the same, and would you enjoy yourself as much as you would with actual Minecraft? The answer is likely no.

5. To stay in the competition

Minecraft is cheap compared to other games that can cost three times as much, but when you calculate the additional costs, it can get close to the price of other games. Sometimes, game developers won’t just raise prices to cover their costs and make a profit, but instead will raise them to stay in the competition.

More money means more development, which means more money to compete with others at the top. Although Minecraft doesn’t need to compete since they are at the top, it would go down fast if they were to stop.

6. Continuously adds fresh and new features

Think of it this way, whenever Minecraft releases a new version of the game, it’s like developing an entirely different game, even though you don’t have to pay for newer versions. You could view other features the same way; new features will cost money if they can help.

Minecraft gets updated relatively frequently, once a year, but if you’re not satisfied with that, you can enhance your experience. It’s not Mojang’s fault that their new features are so interesting that people want to buy them.

7. Development Costs

Every game needs to go through the development process, and you know who develops these games? People. Like any other average Joe with a job, it’s their job to develop games, and they all get paid to do so.

Mojang also has to think about profits; paying developers is their regular cost of running a business, but the higher-ups still have to pay themselves, so any money they make after breaking even is considered their pay.

8. It’s expensive to make versions for all consoles and devices

Mojang has made Minecraft available for all devices since its official release. They’re also developing a PS5 version, and for every new console and device that comes out, Mojang makes sure that they are available as soon as possible. All of this costs money.

Even though there are no fees to release one in terms of licenses, Mojang has to keep developing the game for that same console, which can take a while and cost a lot of money.

9. It abides by the laws of supply and demand

The laws of supply and demand are simple, and it’s one of the first things you learn as a freshly baked business person or an economist. The rules are that if supply is low and the demand is high, the manufacturers can charge more money for their products.

The vice versa is that if the demand is low and supply is high, businesses should lower their prices to try still and make a profit. No business would ever want to be on this end of the law, and Mojang, even after 13 years, still isn’t, so they can use and abuse the law to get the most out of it while the demand is still high.

10. Has a good return on investment ratio

When did you start playing the game? Was it half a year ago, a year ago, or perhaps even 5 or 10 years ago? Whatever your answer, it’s more than any game can ask for. Typically, games have a two-year lifespan, and Minecraft has lasted 13 years.

It’s a game you can’t get bored of because there’s always something to do and create. You can write your own stories and so much more. In reality, your investment return is much higher than in other games. If you were to buy another game that costs the same as Minecraft and only played it for two months, it would be more expensive than Minecraft, which you’ve been playing for years.

11. It’s complex

Although Minecraft is a game with, what some would call subpar graphics, it’s still complex. Just look at the fact that you can mod your game one way or the other. You can bring in new graphics to the game; you can introduce new mobs to the game, and let’s not forget that Minecraft world is five times bigger than the earth’s diameter.

The idea of a game where you can build anything imaginable is expensive, let alone making such a game. It’s also worth considering how many blocks we have in the game and how some game features are directly inspired by real-world content. Minecraft can teach you a lot about science, and developers must think it through and find a way to incorporate it into the game without it being overbearing and hard to understand.

RELATED:

Minecraft: The 10 Best Ways To Make Friends

12. A small indie company made it

Okay, okay, this one is just a joke to combat the memes that have been going around for years where people criticize these ”small indie company” turned gaming industry giants that still manage to make excuses as to why they aren’t trying harder to make the game better for existing players. Still, perhaps there’s some truth to the joke.

When you’re brought up ”poor”, you save money everywhere, even though you might have become rich. We can think of Mojang as a low-income person who turned rich. It’s hard to get out of this mentality; besides, Mojang is still a company whose goal is to make money.

13. Server owners can make it pay to win

You can join if you’re interested in expanding your horizons and playing interesting game modes made by various servers. Although there’s no entry fee for some of these servers, the servers sometimes come up with new features you must pay for to get special benefits or access to other features.

Servers are a world of their own, and even though Mojang doesn’t directly profit from these servers, it still happens within the game, which directly tracks back to the statement that Minecraft is expensive.

14. YouTube

Minecraft was single-handedly made popular again because of YouTube creators and Twitch streamers. The fact that Minecraft-related content surpassed 1 trillion views proves it, but why does Minecraft-related content on YouTube make the game expensive?

You might not even realize it, but think of it this way: YouTubers and streamers have to frequently come up with new content to keep it fresh, interesting, and amassing views. If it weren’t for YouTubers, you might not even know about some of the mods, add-ons, and other features of the game that exist, so they directly influence your buying decisions. They make it so fun, so why wouldn’t you want to try it yourself?

RELATED:

18 Best Minecraft Players in 2024 (Ranked)

15. Most users are console players

Minecraft isn’t expensive if you’re a Java Edition player since, at most, you’re paying for new spin-offs of the game. In contrast, add-ons or mods are free for download on sites with a ton of variety, more than the official Minecraft store…a lot more, but if you’re a console player, the story is different.

You can’t mod Minecraft on consoles without paying for these mods because of the limitations console makers put on these devices. Don’t get me started with servers that you also have to pay for if you want to play with friends every month so that the costs can stagger easily.

Have something to add? Let us know in the comments below!

Subscribe
Notify of
guest
0 Comments
Oldest
Newest Most Voted
Inline Feedbacks
View all comments