Basically title, this thing with two editions of the game slows down development because they now have to write the same thing twice and it splits the userbase. They also don’t want to make Bedrock edition for Linux for some reason.

  • WetBeardHairs@lemmy.worldEnglish
    291·
    21 days ago

    I suspect the real answer is because Microsoft wanted to monetize Minecraft in a way which was not possible with legacy sales. I bought minecraft back in alpha with the promise that I would get any and all updates and future editions for free with purchase. Microsoft legal saw that agreement and knew it was incompatible with their business goals. They knew that incorporating a microtransaction store would basically require unlimited currency for players like me who had purchased it long ago. So the “simple” answer was to re-implement the entire game without the legal encumbrance of the legacy purchases.

    • Gadg8eer@lemm.eeEnglish
      1·
      2 days ago

      Basically this.

      I do want to point out, they COULD do BE ethically. Remove the subscription option and take a cut for all mod sales, and let private server operators and Realms use purchased mods while continuing to not charge players. Then put a legal ToS condition that using Realms requires such servers be operated without profit. Watch people set up private servers and Realms for their friends and charge private servers for API access. Done deal.

      Of course, somebody at Microsoft wasn’t satisfied with that. They wanted complete control.

      Protips for preparing for a potential end of java in a way that at least forces M$ to do something actually productive:

      1. Don’t go quietly. Hold out if you are that determined to see Java continue.
      2. NEVER get the Marketplace pass in Bedrock. It’s a bad deal meant to cater to fleeting, fad-chasing players. It also locks you out of purchasing limited-time items like any cosmetics and cancelling the subscription still leaves you screwed for 30 days.
      3. If you’re a PC player, run a server or rent a Realm only if you don’t know anyone who has them and you can afford to. If you’re playing on Steam Deck or another Linux gamerdeck, do not host a local server, though Linux desktops are supported by the Minecraft Bedrock Dedicated Server software if you want to run one on a local, stationary setup.
      4. Always buy Add-Ons, never Worlds, and never ever via “Marketplace Pass”. They rotate out mods in the pass, so it means you don’t even own a license to use it, let alone own the information you download as would be preferred (but will sadly never happen under Bedrock). I don’t know wtf Microsoft’s idiots were thinking at first, but Worlds are both useless and now functionally obsolete.
      5. Avoid buying franchise “packs” and those sketchy “educational” sponsored content “adventures” exclusive to particular graphics cards. These are ultimately nothing more than an attempt to turn Minecraft into an advertizing medium like TV or social media, and support could end up dropped entirely for licensing reasons. Individual cosmetics appear to be an exception to this, as of April 2025.
      • WetBeardHairs@lemmy.worldEnglish
        11·
        2 days ago

        My solution is: no, I will not buy bedrock. I got it for free on xbox gamepass but only my kid plays that and I dont let him use money on microtransactions. Also I wont buy any extensions to my gamepass subscription. When that’s done, it’s done.

        • Gadg8eer@lemm.eeEnglish
          1·
          2 days ago

          At this point, micro transactions for cosmetics are like candy. Kids will resent you and the values you try to impose if it makes them less able to participate in group activities. Restricting it to an allowance makes sense, disallowing it does not. I say this as someone who was banned from playing any video games as a kid for bullshit reasons.

          There’s a reason that, when people realized smoking was toxic, they petitioned governments to ban them in increasing amounts and thus eventually de-popularize tobacco, rather than try to get kids to not smoke. If all your friends are allowed to, fuck whatever the reason is that you can’t.