When for one has been a headline affair, the name of Minecraft has sent shockwaves through gamers’ community: this time it was not an update involving mobs or biomes. This slow-moving, blocky giant of a game joined forces with the lavish crystal house of Swarovski to create some event-worthy merch, especially now with gamers reacting as if they’ve found diamonds in a dirt wooden house in the middle of the Sahara.
The official account slipped and kept the announcement short, sweet, and straight while teasing: “Your adventures crystallized. Coming soon!” alongside the shiny Swarovski logo, and that literally set off unending chaos among the Minecraft fandom. Some are truly hyped about this, some are a little confused about what’s going on, while the rest of the fandom is still out screeching crab mobs up the streets (though maybe keep quiet on that for now).
Let’s get it out of the way first: this could very well be a line of high-end jewelry and certainly not some Minecraft content. In fact, the French Minecraft community’s Twitter account (@FrMinecraft) has just recently created a link giving away crystal creeper and diamond sword pendants and shell-shocked reactions. Judging by these reactions, these ain’t your standards GameStop collectibles. We are talking major bling that could easily cover the price of your gaming PC.
The reactions were fantastic (or should we say, diamond?); one player, @jjuni0rrrr, screamed “DONT HIDE MY REPLY LITTLE BOY. BRING BACK THE CRAB,” meaning that no matter what Mojang™ announces, there’ll always be someone pained by mob votes. @Volkov_Molotov was meanwhile demanding “just release the sex update already,” naturally.
Apparently, it’s those prices causing all the fighting. A couple of users threw theories about $300 prices while @THEGEARCRAFT was jokingly saying, “It’s just glass sold for diamond prices.” @Princess_Cake perfectly summarized everyone’s feelings by saying: “You guys are seriously overestimating the budget of the average Minecraft player…” Ouch!
Not just the shade, though: There are genuinely some fans. @gr8tlakesgirl says, “I’m okay with the rampant merchandising just so long I get something shiny.” And @NyanCatRachel called it “The best collab.” Meanwhile, @quantumfiber really got the pun: “From mining to shining. 💎.”
Talking about timing, it’s kinda funny—@BlueJustice97 pointed out that they teased Superman DLC recently and then dropped this jewelry bomb; definitely classic Mojang keeping us on our toes. Then, @King_Chiggy asked what the real questions were: “What is the Creeper’s Tera Type?” (Pokémon fans will get that one.)
The ridiculous thing about all this is how polarizing it has become: @Eris1294 begs for yet another JINX collab while @kajudota cranks it to 11: “Stop making stupid things like toys clothes accessories and Dlcs just for money and start working on adding more content to your game.” Then there is @fab9891894 dropping “meth in minecraft” because, well, that’s Twitter.
The real tea? This is probably the most adult Minecraft merchandise I’ve ever seen. @jacobkyle333 rightly asserts, “Definitely for the adult audience here… but I was somewhat expecting this as a texture pack ngl.” Basically, most 12-year-olds aren’t wearing $300 crystal pendants unless their parents really love them.
So what’s really coming? Still fuzzy, but going by international listings and the Swarovski partnership, expect high-end jewelry featuring Minecraft’s iconic imagery. Probably not stuff you would find in an average middle school cafeteria but definitely something for collectors with deep pockets.
So will it sell? asked @Robcat99_: “I would love to know if anyone buys it..” @TheGEARCRAFT: “Still ain’t worth it”, real talk though, some people will be wearing these at Minecon and we’ll all turn green with envy.
This all just comes down to being another weird, wonderful installment of Minecraft’s never-ending merchandising story. From plushies, to LEGO, to high-end crystals, Mojang is showing there really is no limit to trying to monetize cubes. Just some advice: don’t expect this to fill in any game updates players have been begging for.
Expected sometime soon–watch their official channels if you’re-burning-these-Swarovski-bills. For the rest, diamond armor in-game. Same sparkle, way cheaper.
