Chapter 258: Players’ Eager Anticipation
The pocket edition of *Minecraft* was primarily designed to allow players to experience the most basic fun of the game on their phones. Compared to the PC and VR versions of *Minecraft*, the pocket edition mainly cut out some content.
In the pocket edition of *Minecraft*, players would not have access to the network mode [Everyone’s World] or the sightseeing mode [Chen Mo’s World], but all other features were retained.
The data across PC, VR, and mobile platforms were all interconnected. This meant that structures built in the pocket edition could still generate blueprints for sale, and players could also use them in the network mode on PC for construction.
Chen Mo felt that, as a mobile version, this level of functionality was more than sufficient, and pushing it further would not be technically feasible.
With that, the PC version, mobile version, and overseas version of *Minecraft* were all fully developed.
...
On major websites and forums, the popularity of *Minecraft* continued to grow.
Many designers were astonished by the game’s strong staying power.
Within a month of its release, the game had already overtaken *Thousand Prisons*, and this overtaking was achieved despite a tenfold difference in price, making it an even more notable topic.
Moreover, based on keyword search indices, forum discussions, and game data, *Minecraft* still showed strong momentum. A large amount of content was being produced daily, and the player base continued to expand.
The most bewildered person in all of this was likely Yan Zhenyuan, the designer of *Thousand Prisons*.
In terms of investment and game quality, *Thousand Prisons* was undoubtedly superior to *Minecraft*. From market feedback, player preferences, and professional reviews, *Thousand Prisons* was a game with virtually no flaws.
But the problem was, it just wasn’t popular.
If we followed normal trends, although *Thousand Prisons* was priced higher than *Minecraft*, it was still within the normal price range for VR games, so there was no reason for it to suffer because of that.
Yet, the game was just slightly lacking in every metric. It still made a decent amount of money, but it was completely overshadowed by *Minecraft* in terms of buzz, even giving many players the false impression that “*Thousand Prisons* has already cooled off.”
Even Yan Zhenyuan himself couldn’t figure it out and ultimately attributed it to just two words: “Mystical fate.”
When people talked about this, many recalled what Chen Mo had said at the new game press conference.
“*Thousand Prisons* is a really fun game. It’s a game destined to top the bestseller charts. It’s definitely going to be a huge hit!”
Everyone wondered, could Chen Mo’s “jinx” have actually worked?
Was it really that supernatural?
Although it was all said in jest, the impression of “Chen Mo’s jinx” began to take root in many people’s minds.
...
On the official *Minecraft* forum, a post sparked heated discussion among players.
Post title: So Touched! A Gift from Designer Chen Mo to My Daughter, Nini.
This post was published by Nini’s father. It not only detailed the entire process but also included a short video.
The video was filmed by the father on his phone. In the footage, Nini was playing *Minecraft* on a tablet, focused intently on building a house inside the game. It was clear that Nini’s building skills had improved, as she had even constructed a decent-looking wall using stone blocks.
After the post was published, it quickly ignited a lively discussion among players.
“Wow, Nini is so cute!”
“Chen Mo even gave Nini a gift, the mobile version of *Minecraft*? Oh my god, Chen Mo is so warm, I want to marry him!”
“Yeah, Chen Mo is so warm, I want to—!”
“Nini has such a talent for building! That house looks really well-made. Do you think this game can help develop intelligence?”
“Kids shouldn’t play on phones for too long; it’s bad for their eyes. Dad, you should keep an eye on Nini.”
“Why is everyone’s focus off track? Shouldn’t the main point be that *Minecraft* has a mobile version?!”
“Yeah, I want to ask too. *Minecraft* clearly has a mobile version. When is Chen Mo going to release it? I want to build houses anytime, anywhere!”
“That’s right! Release the mobile version quickly! Let those of us without VR game pods play too!”
“Exactly. I was hesitating about whether to buy a game pod, but now I don’t have to. Give us the mobile version!”
As the discussion evolved, everyone was urging Chen Mo to release the mobile version of *Minecraft* as soon as possible.
Although *Minecraft* was incredibly popular, dominating various video and streaming sites, a large portion of players had never actually played the game.
The reason was simple: they didn’t have VR game pods.
Among players who owned a PC, only one in five had a game pod. That meant only 20% of people could actually play the game, while everyone else could only watch on streaming and video sites, satisfying their cravings visually.
These people were itching to join *Minecraft*, prove their architectural talents, and receive the admiration of thousands.
But the barrier was too high.
To play the game, there were only two options. One was to buy a VR game pod and then spend 128 yuan on the game. The other was to spend 128 yuan on the game and then play at a VR internet café, costing at least 50 yuan per hour.
The problem was that *Minecraft* wasn’t a game that sold on sensory experience or immersion. Its production quality wasn’t particularly outstanding, and its main fun required long play sessions to fully appreciate. Playing at an internet café could also be painful on the wallet.
So, these eager players, limited by their budgets, were still hesitating and hadn’t made a firm decision.
Some professionals and tech experts had already analyzed that, while *Minecraft*’s gameplay was rich, its technical difficulty was low, and porting it to PC would be no problem. Porting it to mobile might require cutting some content, but the core gameplay could definitely be preserved.
Thus, everyone speculated that Chen Mo would definitely create PC and mobile versions. If he didn’t, other companies would seize the opportunity to make knockoff games for PC and mobile. Chen Mo couldn’t possibly be that foolish.
After Nini’s video was released, players were even more certain that Chen Mo had plans to develop a mobile version of *Minecraft* and that it was nearly complete.
Amid the players’ eager anticipation, Chen Mo posted on Weibo, confirming that the PC version, mobile version, and overseas version of *Minecraft* had been developed and were scheduled for official release on September 28th!
Chen Mo also mentioned that the VR, PC, and mobile platforms would have fully interconnected data.
Upon receiving this news, players were overjoyed. VR players flooded the forums with informative game guide posts, while those who had never played *Minecraft* eagerly awaited the release of the PC and mobile versions.
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