Minecraft to stop annual mob vote and change Live event

Minecraft Live will look a bit different going forward

The makers of Minecraft have announced some new changes to the way they update fans about the game.

"We’re changing the format for Minecraft Live, and retiring the mob vote, to bring you something new" said Minecraft general manager Ryan Cooper in a blog post.

Minecraft Live is a big live event that takes place each year around October, which gives fans a look ahead at what updates are coming.

The annual mob vote was part of Minecraft Live, and allowed fans to vote for their favourite mob out of a selection of new options, with the winning mob being added to the game in the next big update.

Now, Minecraft has said that the mob vote will be scrapped and Minecraft Live will be split into two shows a year, becoming "a more focused broadcast", and allowing them to update fans "more regularly" on the latest features, testing, and news coming to the game.

What do you think? Let us know in the comments below!

Why is Minecraft scrapping the mob vote?

Last year's mob vote saw the Armadillo come out on top

The mob vote was a community event where developers would give players the chance to vote for their favourite new mob out of a selection of options, with the winning mob being added to the game.

It first began in 2017 where the first mobs to be included were: The Barnacle, The Phantom, The Great Hunger and The Wildfire - with The Phantom winning and being added to the game in the 2018 Aquatic update.

The most recent mob vote last year saw the Armadillo beat the Crab and Penguin to come out on top.

While some people enjoyed voting and rallying around their favourite mob, it also split people's opinions on whether or not it was a good idea.

The first ever mob vote featured The Barnacle, The Phantom, The Great Hunger and The Wildfire

In 2023, a group of players organised a petition to get rid of the mob vote that more than 530,000 people signed.

The organisers said: "The mob vote generates engagement by tearing the community apart, leaving fantastic ideas on the cutting room floor, and teasing content that will never be seen in the game."

In its new blog post - where it announced it was scrapping the mob vote - Minecraft stressed the importance of fans sharing what they think about things: "Your feedback and suggestions contribute enormously to what gets added into the game – in fact, you’ve probably influenced Minecraft's development more than you know."

What else was announced?

Minecraft is also working on a new PS5-compatible update

As well as the mob vote, Mojang, the makers of Minecraft, also announced that they were making changes to the way updates were rolled out to the game.

"Instead of providing one free update during the summer, as we’ve done in the past, we’ll now be releasing a number of free game drops throughout the year", they said.

They have already trialled these new mini-updates. In December 2023, there were changes to the way bats look as well as turning decorative pots into usable storage containers. Then April 2024 saw the arrival of armadillos and armour for wolves in the Armored Paws update.

Minecraft also announced that it's still working on a PS5-friendly version of the game "because Minecraft is better when friends can play together on whichever device they want."

A test version has been available to PlayStation players since June, but Minecraft hasn't said when a full version will become available.