Minecraft Live 2023 LIVE: Minecraft 1.21, the Mob Vote winner, and every reveal as it happened

Hello, everyone! It is your favorite Windows Central Minecraft expert, Zachary! I mean, I hope I'm your favorite (you also don't have much choice, I'm the only official Minecraft expert here). I'll be here all weekend and beyond covering Minecraft Live 2023 with all the information you need to have. What can you expect? How do you participate in the Mob Vote? Where can you watch the show?

Of course, I'll also be reporting on everything that's announced during and after Minecraft Live 2023, too. As long as you're tuned into Windows Central this weekend, you don't have to worry about a thing — Everything from Minecraft Live 2023 will be right here, recorded in perpetuity for your perusal. — Zachary Boddy, Staff Writer at Windows Central

The Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote has officially opened its doors — Go vote!

Right on time, exactly 48 hours before Minecraft Live 2023 begins streaming, the doors have been opened for the annual Mob Vote. Right now, players can go and submit their one (and only one) vote for either the Crab, Armadillo, or Penguin, helping to decide which of these three mobs will join the Minecraft ecosystem in a future update. The voting period will end 15 minutes after Minecraft Live 2023 begins, during which the results will be announced live to everyone.

You'll need to sign into your Microsoft Account, but you can vote through Minecraft.net, a Minecraft: Bedrock Edition server, or the Minecraft Launcher on PC. You can vote at any point in the 48-hour voting period, but you only get one final vote, so choose wisely! For more information, Windows Central's complete guide to the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote has absolutely everything you need to know.

I voted for the Armadillo. I can't say no to that adorably square face, and the chance to protect my precious fur babies with some armor is just too good to pass up. — Zachary Boddy

What can we expect to see during Minecraft Live 2023?

Minecraft Live is a major event year-after-year, so there's always a lot to expect and even more revealed during the actual show. There are some things we can be sure to see, but there's still more about which we can only speculate. Here's a quick rundown of what I personally expect will appear during Minecraft Live 2023, although you can check out more in-depth predictions in my article on how to watch and what to expect at Minecraft Live 2023.

Firstly, we're almost certain to see the first details for Minecraft 1.21, the next major content update coming to Minecraft at some point in 2024. I don't know what features this update will include, but Mojang Studios is likely to confirm the first set of major features in the release. I don't expect a firm release date, a complete feature list, or even a name for the update, though. Mojang Studios now only announces features when they're already far along in development and nearly read to be tested by players, and content updates are only named closer to release.

At least we can be confident that the winner of this year's Mob Vote will be included in Minecraft 1.21. We don't know if it'll be the Crab, Armadillo, or Penguin yet, but one of these new peaceful mobs will be a part of a future Minecraft update.

We're also probably going to learn more about what's next for Minecraft Legends, which released earlier this year. Minecraft Legends has already enjoyed decent post-launch support, but players are still waiting for more content and more quality-of-life improvements. Hopefully, we'll hear more about both during the Minecraft Live event.

Elsewhere, I know we're getting some kind of performance from Alec Benjamin (I know, it surprised me, too). We're not hearing anything about Minecraft Dungeons. And we may learn of some new Minecraft partnerships and collaborations, possibly for new Minecraft DLC or merch, or maybe even something bigger. — Zachary Boddy

Minecraft players on PlayStation may not be able to vote in the server

Mojang Studios has confirmed an issue with the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition server on PlayStation consoles that is preventing players from submitting their vote. Players can still join the server and participate in the games and festivities, but voting via the live map is not working. Mojang is investigating the problem for a potential fix.

In the meantime, affected players can submit their vote for the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote via the Minecraft.net page. I'll be sure to post again if Mojang Studios releases a fix for PlayStation players. As far as I'm aware, other platforms are not affected. — Zachary Boddy

Minecraft is opening its doors wider for the Mob Vote

One of the best ways to participate in the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote is by joining the special Minecraft: Bedrock Edition server. This themed server is all about the Mob Vote, allowing you to learn about each of the mobs (and see larger-than-life versions of them) before casting your vote in-game. After you vote, you can join fellow Minecraft players in some parkour, play a ton of mini-games, or meet the Tinies.

For the duration of the Mob Vote, too, Mojang Studios has opened the doors for this Minecraft server. Right now, players on Xbox and PlayStation consoles do not need an online subscription to join the Bedrock Edition Mob Vote server. That's right, you can still enjoy your time in the server and with fellow players without being subscribed to Xbox Game Pass Core or PlayStation Plus. This is only for the Mob Vote server, and only for the duration of the Mob Vote, but it'll still help even more players join in on the fun. Just hit the Minecraft Live button in the bottom left corner of the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition title screen to join.

Actually, it goes even further than that. You don't even need to own Minecraft to vote. You heard that right, you don't need to own a copy of Minecraft. On Xbox, you'll be able to download Minecraft between Oct. 8 at 1:00 p.m. ET and Oct. 16 at 5:00 p.m. ET; on PlayStation, you'll be able to do the same between Oct. 12 at Noon ET and Oct. 16 at 3:00 a.m. ET. After the game is downloaded, you should be able to join the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote server and cast your vote. Like everyone else, though, you'll still need to sign in with a Microsoft Account. — Zachary Boddy

The Minecraft: Bedrock Edition Mob Vote server is unavailable right now

Well, it seems that whatever issues the PlayStation version of the Mob Vote live server was having has now expanded to all platforms and evolved in turn. Mojang Studios has now reported that the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote live server is currently unavailable on all platforms. That doesn't just mean voting — the server itself can't be accessed from any Minecraft: Bedrock Edition device.

Hopefully, this issue doesn't last long. Mojang is currently investigating the issue and is likely working on a fix as soon as possible, considering the Mob Vote live server is highly temporary already. You can still submit your vote via the Minecraft Live webpage, though. We'll keep you updated as the situation evolves, of course (except when I'm asleep, as I must be eventually). — Zachary Boddy

The Minecraft: Bedrock Edition Mob Vote server is back online

Good news, everyone! Mojang Studios has reported that the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition live server for the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote is back online and fully functional for all platforms!

It seems that Mojang may have accidentally broken something when attempting to repair the PlayStation version of the live server to enable voting, but everything is as it should be once again. Regardless of your platform, you should be able to access the Mob Vote server and participate in the vote and mini-games. Have fun, voters. — Zachary Boddy

Morning block-building fans! I'm sneaking into the live blog while Zachary snoozes to implore you all to make the only correct choice in the mob vote this year: vote Penguin! Who can resist those adorable waddles and captivating little tuxedos? Stylish and dapper, even in the harshest of environments. Well apparently, Zachary can resist, because they voted for the Armadillo. We all make mistakes.

I'm also here to let you know that you'll get an item for casting your vote to use in the game, and if you vote for the Penguin, you get this pretty cool helmet. There's still time to cast your vote; check out all the cute critters in our guide to the new mobs here — Jennifer Young

Meet the participants in the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote

Another year, another Mob Vote, another three mobs to divide the Minecraft community and tear us asunder. Alright, that last part is a joke. Mostly a joke. I'm not going to fight my colleague Jennifer, though. Still, choosing between these three mobs is a tough choice for anyone. All three are adorable and bring a unique feature to Minecraft. So, let's summarize each one to (hopefully) make the choice a little easier for you.

First up is the Crab. This mob is found in the Mangrove Swamp biome, is friendly to players, and features an enormous claw. That claw is what makes the Crab interesting in more than one way, too, as it will allow Minecraft builders to place blocks from farther away. That's enough right there to earn a lot of votes.

The Armadillo is my personal vote this year. I think it's definitely the cutest out of the three mobs (although they're all adorable), but I can't pass up the Armadillo's unique feature. It's just a little guy, donning the square lines that encompasses Minecraft all the way down to its subatomic particles (I assume, I'm not a Minecraft physicist) with a perfectly rectangular shape. It also uses that shape to achieve maximum defense when startled, and can share that defensive capability by dropping... Scutes? Yeah, I don't really know what scutes are, but you can use the Armadillo's to craft wolf armor. That's enough for me.

Finally, we have the Penguin. It's an adorable little guy, more reminiscent of the penguins of Australia than those we associate with the frozen tundras of the poles. These Penguins are social creatures that love living in groups, and the unique feature they bring to Minecraft is the ability to make our slow boats move a whole lot faster. They are indeed proper little gentlepenguins, but I still made the right choice (Sorry, Jen).

Speaking of free Minecraft Creator Items, there aren't just items for each mob... You can also get a Mob Vote Top Hat Creator Item if you find all the lost mobs in the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition Mob Vote live server. It's purple, it's creeper-y, and it's amazing. There's even a matching sparkly cape.

So, which mob will you vote for? — Zachary Boddy

The community is uniting, calling an end to the Minecraft Live Mob Vote

Every year, there's a sizeable contingent of the Minecraft community that actively decries the annual Minecraft Live Mob Vote. Many in the community feel that the Mob Vote is unfair and that Mojang Studios should either dramatically change it or do away with it entirely. This year, the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote has been hit with massive backlash from the community.

The movement has grown substantially this year, with many members of the Minecraft community taking to social media platforms to publicly voice their negative opinions on the Mob Vote. Minecraft's official posts are filled with comments from frustrated players, as are YouTube comment sections. There's even a Change.org petition with nearly 500,000 signatures. And, to be honest, they have a point.

The general consensus from the Minecraft community is how, year after year, Mojang Studios announces three great new Minecraft mobs — only for one to actually be added to the game. Even if your favorite wins, you're still saying goodbye to two other mobs you may also love, while many other people will never see their personal picks in Minecraft. The Mob Vote always divides the community, which is the point, but it also always comes with lots of disappointment following it.

Players are asking that Mojang Studios either end the Mob Vote entirely, or change how it's done. Instead of picking one new mob every year, players could possibly vote on the order in which those mobs or added. Or, maybe players could vote on more vague themes or ideas, and then have Mojang design new features and content around that theme. Many are simply asking for Mojang to add all three mobs to Minecraft every year, but that may not be reasonable.

Still, it's growing increasingly clear that many in the Minecraft community aren't happy with the current Mob Vote. Whatever the results of this year's Mob Vote, Mojang Studios may have to consider how to approach it in following years, as the positive marketing for Minecraft Live may now be outweighed by the negative feedback. — Zachary Boddy

Check out these exclusive Creator Items from the Mob Vote

The Mob Vote is still ongoing, and the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition live server is the best way to participate (when it's working, that is). Mojang Studios took to, erm, X (no, it's definitely still Twitter) to show off some of the unique Minecraft Creator Items players can earn by exploring the Mob Vote service and casting their vote. They're small freebies, for sure, but give you more ways to customize your Minecraft character.

The exclusive items include a fabulous sparkly cape, a dapper purple top hat, and some items clearly inspired by the three mobs in this year's Mob Vote. If you want to permanently add these items to your account, hop into the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition Mob Vote server and make sure your voice is heard! — Zachary Boddy

Alec Benjamin will be at Minecraft Live?

Here's an odd thing I only briefly mentioned yesterday. Did you know Alec Benjamin will be at Minecraft Live 2023? Mojang Studios teased his appearance yesterday on Twitter by tagging him in the above picture. It'll be interesting to see what role the pop artist will play in Minecraft Live. Will we get a live performance from him during the show? I have to admit, I'd definitely be excited for that. I'm a fan of Benjamin's music, so that's probably not too surprising. — Zachary Boddy

My wildest dreams for Minecraft Live 2023

I've already written about my reasonable expectations for Minecraft Live this year, but what if I could see anything I wanted? Well, we probably won't see any of this, but it's nice to dream.

I'd love for Mojang Studios to reveal its concerted efforts to reach full vanilla parity between Minecraft: Bedrock Edition and Java Edition. The studio has been making a lot of progress in this area, but it's near impossible to guarantee complete parity between games built on two wildly different engines. Still, there are a lot of features and mechanics in the legacy version of Minecraft that still aren't present in the more modern Bedrock Edition. Mostly, I want to see the enhanced combat in the Java Edition become even more dynamic and interesting, and then ported to all versions of Minecraft.

While we're talking about updates I'd like to see, Minecraft: Bedrock Edition sorely needs a major one. Yeah, I'm bringing it up — Minecraft still isn't optimized on Xbox Series X|S, and it's not happening any time soon. But, to be honest, I don't even really care all that much about ray tracing or the "Super Duper Graphics Pack" on Xbox Series X and Xbox Series S. I just want Minecraft to run better on more powerful hardware. Minecraft on my Xbox Series X feels identical as it did on my Xbox One X, and that's just not right. The Bedrock Edition needs a serious update to help it dynamically adapt to the hardware it's running on. It should look better and perform smoother on the Xbox Series X versus an Android phone, and it just doesn't feel like it does. Still, I know none of this is going to be at Minecraft Live, and that makes me sad.

Want to know another unreasonable request that isn't going to happen? I'd love for Mojang Studios to surprise the world and announce that the winner of the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote is, in fact, all three mobs, and that players can expect to see them all in a future Minecraft update. It'd be awesome to see both the Penguin and Armadillo together.

Let's wrap this up with the most ridiculous dream... I want another Minecraft game! Yes, I know Minecraft Legends just came out, but I still want Mojang Studios to shock us with the announcement that it partnered with another studio to port Minecraft to yet another genre. Maybe we could see a full-blown real-time strategy game, or even a platformer, or a Minecraft PvP Battle Royale (that'd be silly, but I'd still probably love it). If Minecraft wanted to also give us a full trailer and release date for the live action Minecraft movie, too, that'd be neat. — Zachary Boddy

Watch Minecraft Live on Twitch to earn froggy Creator Items

Want to be a frog in your Minecraft worlds? Yeah, me too. To make that dream a reality, though, your best bet is to tune into Minecraft Live 2023 via Twitch, either through the official Minecraft channel or one of the event's community partners. Watch 30 minutes of the show through Twitch, and you'll be able to earn the frog head, body, and feet Creator Items via Twitch's Drops system. Nice. — Zachary Boddy

How and where to watch Minecraft Live 2023

Preparing yourself for the wildest Minecraft festival of the year? It's probably not going to be that wild, actually, but it's still a can't-miss event for Minecraft fans around the globe. Before it airs tomorrow, familiarize yourself with when the event kicks off and where you can go to watch it.

Although, I wouldn't blame you for instead opting to follow my live coverage of the event rather than watch Minecraft Live 2023, well, live. My charm is undeniable, after all. If you do make the difficult decision to tune into the actual event, though, here's what you need to know.

Minecraft Live 2023 begins on Oct. 15, 2023, at 10:00 a.m. PT / Noon CT / 1:00 p.m. ET / 7:00 p.m. CEST. You can tune into the show via the following links:

• Minecraft.net
• YouTube
• Twitch
• Audio Description via YouTube
• American Sign Language (ASL) via YouTube

You'll be able to watch the event live in several languages, and even more alongside different Minecraft community creators. After Minecraft Live concludes, you'll be able to replay the show in even more languages. For more in-depth information, check out our guide on how and where to watch Minecraft Live 2023. — Zachary Boddy

It's almost time! Minecraft Live 2023 airs today, and we'll finally be able to tentatively peer into the future of this video game behemoth, spying updates, releases, and brand-new changes. 2024 is likely going to be bursting at the seams with Minecraft everything, considering Minecraft will also be celebrating 15 years of long, healthy life in May. All our questions are left unanswered until later today, though, when Mojang Studios opens the doors to its stage (well, metaphorically, anyways, none of us will actually be there). I'm excited to see what happens, but also curious if Mojang will be able to exceed the modest expectations of the community this time around. — Zachary Boddy

This is your last chance to cast your vote in the Minecraft Live Mob Vote!

With Minecraft Live 2023 finally airing later today, your time to cast your vote in the Mob Vote is rapidly fading. More specifically, voting will officially end at 10:15 a.m. PT / Noon CT / 1:15 p.m. ET / 7:15 p.m. CEST, 15 minutes after the show begins. You have until then to cast your vote for the Crab, Armadillo, or Penguin. If you need a refresh on the voting methods, the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote is being held through:

• Minecraft.net
• A special Minecraft: Bedrock Edition server
• The Minecraft Launcher on PC

In all cases, you will need to sign in with your Microsoft Account, and you will only be able to vote one time. That being said, if you already voted you can change your vote all the way up until voting ends. You only get one vote, but you're welcome to change your mind as many times as you wish. Mojang Studios will announce the winner of the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote during the show, so stay tuned to learn if your choice won it all. For more information, check our guide on the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote and everything you need to know. — Zachary Boddy

Looks like TikTok will also have exclusive Minecraft drops

The froggy outfit isn't the only thing up for grabs when watching Minecraft Live 2023. It seems you can also earn another three exclusive Minecraft Creator Items to build a Cherry Grove-inspired outfit. All you have to do is watch Minecraft Live through one of a select few rooms on TikTok, which you'll be able to access by tapping the Minecraft Live banner in-app (I've already seen people say they're not seeing it, so I'm not sure when or how this banner appears). — Zachary Boddy

The Minecraft Live 2023 Community Pre-Show is happening right now

I'm a little late to the party (had to get a drink, sorry), but the Minecraft Live 2023 Community Pre-Show is happening right now, directly before the main event. The Pre-Show features a wide variety of Minecraft creators, showing different clips, upcoming events and streams, and much more. — Zachary Boddy

Minecraft Live 2023 is happening NOW — Watch it right here!

After an eternity of waiting, of feeling my bones crumble and my flesh decay, of witnessing the downfall of my sanity and the fading of my memories — Alright I'm being dramatic. We haven't been waiting that long, but what's most important is that the wait is OVER. Minecraft Live 2023 is kicking off as we speak. I'll be covering everything from the event live right here so you don't miss a single announcement, but you can also watch the show right now, right above.

It's an exciting day for Minecraft players. I can't wait to see what happens. — Zachary Boddy

10 minutes left to vote in the Mob Vote

I was way ahead of this "final warning" thing (see below, above, all throughout this article), but might as well give you one more warning. The Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote has less than 10 minutes remaining. Better go get your vote on. — Zachary Boddy

Minecraft Legends is getting a whole lot more content this year

Many people may have already forgotten about Minecraft Legends, the supremely unique action-strategy game set in the Minecraft universe, which Mojang Studios and Blackbird Interactive released earlier this year. 2023 has been an incredible year for video games in general, leaving no room for less-than-stellar releases. Minecraft Legends was one such game, but Mojang and Blackbird have been working hard since to improve it with post-launch update.

Now, we know that the journey is far from over for Minecraft Legends. The studios are planning a ton of fresh content and improvements for Minecraft Legends throughout the rest of the year, and there's undoubtedly more to come in 2024. For now, though, players can look forward to two new Lost Legends challenges with exclusive rewards, starting with "Creeper Clash" on Oct. 19 (just a few days away!) and "Snow vs. Snout" in December. Also coming in December is a major content update that will bring, alongside the usual fixes and improvements, the Frog as a new player mount, the Witch has a powerful new ally mob, and a new Piglin enemy type and Piglin structure players can encounter during their adventures.

Want to learn more? Click the link above for all the details. — Zachary Boddy

The Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote has shut its doors, but we still have to wait

I hope you voted, because you're not able to now. The Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote has officially closed its doors, meaning all votes are final (no takesies backsies, sorry). Mojang Studios is likely tallying the votes right now, so we'll get the results a little later in the show.

Oh, you can at least still join the Minecraft: Bedrock Edition live server for the mini-games and secrets for one more day. — Zachary Boddy

Minecraft's Star Wars: Path of the Jedi DLC will show you the Force later this year

The Minecraft Marketplace for the Bedrock Edition is overflowing with endless DLC from Mojang Studios, official third-party partners and studios, and community creators. There are full-blown adventure maps and conversion packs, texture packs, skins, and so much more. Soon, another DLC will come to Minecraft that'll let you cross another fantasy off the bucket list — becoming a Jedi.

Star Wars: Path of the Jedi is coming to Minecraft: Bedrock Edition on Nov. 7, 2023, and will be a full adventure world for Minecraft with new mechanics, features, and content. You'll start your journey as a Jedi Padawan, exploring iconic Star Wars locations, meeting the characters you know and love, and slowly expanding your skillset with new Force abilities, until you eventually become a Jedi Knight. That's pretty darn cool. — Zachary Boddy

The Penguin is the first mob to be eliminated from the Mob Vote

Sorry, fans of this mob (especially my colleague, Jennifer). Unfortunately, it earned the least number of votes and is the first to lose the Mob Vote. Now, the battle is between the Crab and the Armadillo. — Zachary Boddy

Planet Earth III brings more nature to Minecraft: Education Edition next year

The second upcoming Minecraft DLC may be less interesting for many, but it'll still be an important addition to the ecosystem for many. Minecraft: Education Edition is getting the Planet Earth III DLC for free in early 2024, and it'll also come to the Minecraft Marketplace as part of the free educational series of DLC.

This DLC is meant to help Minecraft players (namely students and children, with the help of educators), immerse themselves in nature and learn about the importance of preservation and care. You'll be able to explore multiple biomes and learn about the animals within, similar to the BBC Earth limited series of the same name that's coming this Fall. — Zachary Boddy

Mojang Studios is working to make its development process more efficient

Agnes Larsson of Mojang Studios has said that the team has multiple developers working on tools to make Minecraft's development process more efficient, possibly in the form of updates to Minecraft's Bedrock Engine. This may mean we'll see larger and more frequent updates to Minecraft in the future, which would be great to see. Mojang Studios is also going to focus on revisiting old, aging features in addition to adding new content. How exciting. — Zachary Boddy

The Minecraft 1.21 update is official, and it's all about adventure and challenge

It's the moment we've all been waiting for. Minecraft Live is about all things Minecraft, sure, and that's a lot things. But year over year, the announcement that attracts the most attention overall is the announcement of the next major Minecraft content update. Finally, it's here. Minecraft 1.21 is coming in mid-2024, and it's bringing new challenges, mobs, and features.

You can click that link above for a full breakdown of what's confirmed in the update so far (and lots and lots of screenshots), but let's summarize. Mojang Studios is continuing its new habit of only announcing new Minecraft features when they're already far along in development, and waiting to name updates until closer to release, so don't expect this to be the final feature list and don't expect there to be a title.

Basically, two major new features have been revealed: Trial Chambers and the Crafter. Trial Chambers are new, procedurally generated, underground Minecraft dungeons made of copper and tuff block sets, and present a ton of new challenges to players. These chambers are maze-like, filled with puzzles and traps, as well as the new copper bulb block (a new light source with variable light strength depending on the level of copper oxidization).

There are also Trial Spawners in these chambers, which dynamically spawn a set number of mobs in a challenge-like fashion, and then award players with exclusive rewards should they emerge victorious. There's even a new mob as a part of both Trial Chambers and Spawners — the Breeze. This Blaze-like hostile mob fires projectiles of condensed wind that explode on contact with players or entities, dealing small amounts of damage and dealing a ton of knockback. These projecticles even interact with certain blocks, activating traps around you.

The second major feature? The Crafter, a new tool that will allow redstone engineers to, you guessed it, automate crafting. Players can set a specific recipe by customizing the grid and inputting ingredients, and then use redstone and other redstone tools to continuously, automatically craft that recipe as long as ingredients are available. It's something the community has been requesting for years, and Mojang Studios is finally making it happen. 

We don't have any information on other features that will likely be added in the future, but it's safe to say that the winner of the Mob Vote will be among them. Also, it's likely that these initial features will make their ways into the hands of players through early betas and snapshots in the near future, so we'll keep an eye out for that. — Zachary Boddy

Minecraft has sold over 300 million copies — Just in time for its 15th anniversary

Hey, did you know that Minecraft is almost 15 years old? Yeah, the initial pre-Classic released in May 2009, so Minecraft is only ~7 months away from celebrating 15 years. That's a long time for any video game, especially one that's continuing to grow in size and popularity. In fact, Minecraft has spent a large part of its life being the best-selling video game of all time, and that trend is continuing.

Today, Mojang Studios confirmed that Minecraft recently crossed over 300 million copies sold. What a milestone! It's the first official update we've had to this metric since April 2021, when Mojang revealed that Minecraft had sold over 238 million copies. The game continues to sell at an alarming rate, and it's likely not slowing down any time soon. It's an achievement basically no other video game can claim to have accomplished, and it comes just in time for the Minecraft 15th Anniversary Celebration. We still don't really know what this celebration will entail, but we can be confident there will be lots of surprises in store for 2024. It's a big year for Minecraft. — Zachary Boddy

The wait is over! The winner of the Minecraft Live 2023 Mob Vote is the... Armadillo!

Weeks of anticipation and over 48 hours of voting later, Mojang Studios has finally unveiled the winner of this year's Mob Vote, which pitted the Crab, Armadillo, and Penguin against each other. The Penguin lost first, and the Crab lost second. That means the winner is... the Armadillo!

The Armadillo will be added to Minecraft in a future update, likely as a part of Minecraft 1.21. I wish we could've seen all mobs added together, but the Armadillo was my first pick. It's just so darn cute. — Zachary Boddy

Alec Benjamin made a surprise appearance at Minecraft Live 2023 with a Minecraft version of "Let Me Down Slowly"

I have to admit, it's an unusual way to cap off Minecraft Live 2023, but it wasn't unexpected. Mojang Studios teased that Alec Benjamin would be present at Minecraft Live, and the reason why is clear now. The beloved musician and lyricist performed live at the end of the show, taking his hit song "Let Me Down Slowly" and giving it a Minecraft spin.

"Minecraft, like music, is a place for endless creativity, exploration, and storytelling of all kinds," Alec Benjamin said. "I'm excited to bring a fun new take on my song 'Let Me Down Slowly' to Minecraft Live and I hope it inspires the community to tell their own stories, whether in Minecraft, music, or wherever their passions may lie."

Thus ends Minecraft Live 2023, which was packed with announcements and surprises of all kinds for the Minecraft franchise. Closing the show with a wonderful live performance from Alec Benjamin (an artist I personally enjoy listening to) was nice. I hope to see similar spectacles from Minecraft Live in the future. — Zachary Boddy

Minecraft Live 2023 is officially over — Let's recap

It has been a long day for me, and Minecraft fans everywhere. Minecraft Live 2023 is officially over, and contained within its two-hour runtime was a year's worth of Minecraft-related announcements and reveals (and one Minecraft themed live performance). Let's take a moment to recap everything we saw at the show.

• The Minecraft 1.21 update. The next major Minecraft content update is coming in mid-2024 with the Trial Chamber underground dungeons, the Trial Spawner challenges, the new hostile Breeze mob, and automated crafting thanks to the Crafter. And that's just what has been confirmed so far.
• More Minecraft Legends content. Minecraft Legends is continuing to evolve, and will get two more Lost Legends challenges before the end of the year. A content update will also drop this December with a new mount, ally mob, Piglin enemy, and Piglin structure.
• Minecraft's 15th anniversary. All of 2024 will be the Minecraft 15th Anniversary Celebration. To kick things off, Minecraft has officially sold over 300 million copies over its lifetime! That means it keeps its title as the best-selling video game of all time.
• The Mob Vote winner. The annual Mob Vote has concluded, and the winner is the Armadillo! The new mob will be added to Minecraft through a future update (most likely the aforementioned 1.21 content update, actually).
• New Minecraft DLC. The Minecraft Marketplace will be getting the Star Wars: Path of the Jedi premium DLC on Nov. 7 this year, while Minecraft: Education Edition will be getting the free Planet Earth III DLC some point in early 2024.

Capping that off with a live performance from the one and only Alec Benjamin, and that makes for a pretty full Minecraft Live! I'm sure some will be disappointed by the density of the event, but Mojang Studios has laid the groundwork today for Minecraft to have an incredible 2024. 15 years is a long time for any video game to thrive, and Minecraft certainly isn't slowing down any time soon.

You don't have to leave me immediately, though! Minecraft Live 2023 may be concluded, but I'll still be here with any lingering last-minute news, recaps and summaries, and exclusive commentary until tomorrow. — Zachary Boddy

5 million people participated in the Mob Vote, and over 40% of them voted for the Armadillo

After Minecraft Live 2023, Mojang Studios revealed the statistics for this year's Mob Vote. Over 5 million people cast their votes this year, which is significantly more than the 3 million votes the Mob Vote got last year. Of those votes, over 40% went to the winner, the Armadillo.

More specifically, the Armadillo earned 42.3% of the votes, the Crab earned 32.5%, and the Penguin came in last with 25.2%. — Zachary Boddy

We only have to wait a few weeks to test the first Minecraft 1.21 features

During Minecraft Live, it was casually mentioned that the first handful of features from the Minecraft 1.21 update are only a few weeks away from landing in the hands of players, confirming my earlier suspicions. Pretty soon, Minecraft Preview builds and Minecraft: Java Edition snapshots will roll out with Trial Chambers, Trial Spawners, copper bulbs, the Breeze, and the Crafter as experimental features.

Not long after that, we may see the earliest versions of the Armadillo in-game. Then will begin the months-long development process, during which Mojang Studios will collect feedback, iterate on existing features, and release new ones. It's an exciting time. — Zachary Boddy

With 300 million copies, what does an average day in Minecraft look like?

Following Minecraft Live 2023 and the news that Minecraft has now sold over 300 million copies, Mojang Studios has provided a look into an average game of Minecraft with some interesting stats. It seems that the Minecraft community, on any given day, can accomplish:

• 15 million skeletons slain
• 8.8 million pickaxes crafted
• 915km traveled on pigback
• 700,000 cakes made
• 400,000 wolves tamed
• 6.7 million diamonds discovered
• 0 smiles caused by creepers (I'm not sure I believe this, it can be pretty hilarious to watch someone else get blown up by a creeper)

It's interesting to get some insight into how much is done in Minecraft in a single day. That's a lot of delicious cake made, but I wonder how much of it is actually eaten versus sat on a table in perpetuity for the sake of the vibe. — Zachary Boddy