Considering that it’s sold millions of copies over the past few years, Minecraft has become universally accepted amongst old and young players alike. However, back when they were still up and running and holding the Minecraft: Story Mode license in hand, the publisher had something much different in mind for that gaming world.
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GamesIndustry International recently wrote out a huge ‘ for the now-shuttered episodic game company, talking with former narrative designer Emily Grace Buck about what the team had in mind for its projects. And it took a unique approach with Story Mode that almost stuck, but eventually panned out into something much more calmer.
When it came to these pitches, however, they weren’t universally received, mainly because, according to Buck, a big problem with the company was a “fundamental misunderstanding of who our audience was.”
Case in point: when the first two Minecraft: Story Mode episodes were written out, Telltale had a Teen-rated theme in mind. (It was initially noted that the episodes were more Mature-rated, but Buck has since clarified that she was mistaken.)
The main reason they had to be rewritten? According to Buck, it was a matter of the content being “clearly misaligned with the younger target demographic of Minecraft.”
In the clarified Twitter statement, she noted that “I played it, and it was not appropriate for young kids…but not that raunchy.”
While specific examples weren’t given, Buck did note later in the postmortem, “People began asking, ‘Why are there dick jokes in my Minecraft?’” It sounds like Telltale was going for something edgier, and that may not have sat well with the team over at Mojang.
The adjustment certainly paid off. While some were critical of how Story Mode provided a voice to Minecraft that it didn’t necessarily need, it did eventually become a success over the first season, leading to a couple of additional episodes and a second season. There was even talk about a potential third season, but that apparently faded out when the publisher was trying to focus on a new development engine. And then, obviously, the closure occurred.
It would’ve been interesting to see what would’ve become of Minecraft‘s more “mature” (if you can call it that) approach. But then again, it probably would’ve angered fans even more than Story Mode already has, so maybe it was best left the way it was.
If you’re curious about Minecraft: Story Mode, you can check out its two seasons now on Xbox One, PlayStation 4 and PC. The first season is also available for Nintendo Switch.
