Though it may look pedestrian to outsiders, Minecraft has proven to be one of the most successful video games of the past decade, and its mobile counterpart, Minecraft Pocket, has now received an update to keep spreading the simple, faux 8-bit gospel. The new Minecraft Pocket Marketplace, as the shop is called, lets users purchase content from community creators — a feature that was previously inaccessible for those who played the game exclusively on mobile.
Marketplace doesn't allow users to purchase content (such as skins, textures, and worlds) directly. Like many other mobile games, Minecraft Pocket instead runs on a mini-economy of Minecraft Coins that users purchase en masse, leveraging that digital currency to then purchase add-ons within the game's shop.
Online Building Game Shop
'Minecraft Pocket' Now Has an Online Store That Includes PC Add-Ons
Trend Themes
1. Mobile Gaming Microtransactions - The success of mobile games like Minecraft Pocket that rely on in-game purchases for paid content presents a trend toward microtransaction-based mobile gaming.
2. Community-created Game Add-ons - The Minecraft Pocket Marketplace success demonstrates a trend toward game companies allowing third-party creators to design and sell in-game content.
3. Mini-economies in Mobile Gaming - Mini-economies like Minecraft Pocket's Minecraft Coins show a trend toward using digital currencies to enable in-game purchases.
Industry Implications
1. Mobile Gaming Industry - The mobile gaming industry can take advantage of the trend toward microtransaction-based gameplay and third-party add-ons by encouraging more community-created content and digital currencies.
2. Third-party Content Creation Industry - The success of the Minecraft Pocket Marketplace presents opportunities for the third-party content creation industry to partner with major game companies to design and sell in-game assets.
3. Digital Currency Industry - Mini-economies like Minecraft Coins demonstrate that there is a trend toward the use of digital currencies within the mobile gaming industry, presenting opportunities for companies in the digital currency space to enter this market.