In a recent update to the Minecraft’s Commercial Usage Guidelines, Mojang has banned the use of Minecraft by companies and corporations to advertise within the game. The update cites both the Minecraft EULA and Brand/Assets Guidelines and that this update makes more clear the restrictions that are put on users using the Minecraft brand, its software, and IP. The update added a new section related directly to the use of their IP for third party advertising.
The statements contain guidelines for advertising stating that the only advertisement allowed within the game would be a paid ones involving ads coming up in relation of Minecraft related media, just not directly within the game itself. According to the statement users may not “Build or commission others to build a Minecraft mod, map, or server that promotes or markets unrelated products or services in playable form.” This not only includes corporations but also nonprofits or politicians, essentially anyone creating content within the game whose sole purpose is to “sell” some unrelated product.
The statement makes it clear that this does not ban users from building or creating mods or content related to things they enjoy, i.e. movies, other games, etc. It is made clear that all of this ok as long as the person creating the content is not in any way associated with the entity that their content is based on.
In a statement by Director of Creative Communications at Mojang, Owen Hill, it is made clear that this update in their policy will not affect the current video or server monetization that has already been implemented into the game. Hill attempts to make clear that they are not trying to impede the creativity of the community that has rallied around the game since its 2009 release and meteoric rise to popularity over the years. Hill sums it up by saying that “We want to empower our community to make money from their creativity, but we’re not happy when the selling of an unrelated product becomes the purpose of a Minecraft mod or server.”