Status Active Venue Varies | Genre Gamers Convention Location(s) Varies | |
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MineCon is a convention for the video game Minecraft, hosted by Mojang. The first gathering in 2010 was known as MinecraftCon. The Minecon 2011 convention was held in Las Vegas and celebrated the launch of the game with Minecraft-related discussion panels and gaming areas. The most recent convention, held in Anaheim, had 12,000 attendees and was recognized as the world's biggest gaming convention for a single video game.
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2010
MinecraftCon 2010 was a gathering of more than 30 people at Bellevue, Washington on August 31. Markus Persson made an appearance at the meet-up when several requests were made for a community meet-up, so he called on the community to pick no specific venue. This was not technically a convention, but some count it as the first Minecraft convention.
2011
5,000 people attended the first official Minecon convention held in Las Vegas on 30 November 2011. The convention focused on celebrating the game's release and hosted Minecraft-related discussion panels, and invited people to play the game with others while at the convention. There were keynote speeches from members of the community, building contests, costume contests and exhibits. One of the many events at Minecon was the "Nether Party", an event for those aged 21 and over, featuring deadmau5.
2012
On 2 August 2012, Mojang announced that the 2012 Minecon convention would take place in the Paris Disneyland Park on 24 and 25 November. The announcement was made over the social networking platform Twitter when the game's creator, Markus Persson, posted a short trailer revealing the new convention location. The video shows Mojang team members wearing Disney paraphernalia, and Persson comments to lead developer Jens Bergensten, "I think they are trying to tell us something". Joystiq's JC Fletcher said that the site was a "step up" from the first Minecon's location in Las Vegas. The second annual convention was the first held outside of the United States, making it available to European fans who might not have been able to attend the first. It was held in the wake of Minecraft's growing popularity as the Xbox 360 version of the game sold 3 million copies. 2012 was also the start of several in-game unofficial Minecons, notably Virtual Minecon, which although an unofficial event, was attended by a member of the Mojang Team. Many in-game Minecons have announced an intent to return with the start of the next Minecon.
4,500 fans attended the convention in 2012. Mojang made several announcements at the 2012 convention. Details about the 1.5 "Redstone" update were revealed as well as information on the game's modding API. The Redstone update was planned for release in early March 2013 and included new features added to the redstone ore in the game. Minecraft 1.5 added hoppers, droppers, and more.
2013
In April 2013, Lydia Winters revealed that Minecon 2013 would be held in the United States. Jens Bergensten later said that it would be on the east coast. On 27 June, it was announced on Mojang's YouTube Channel that Minecon 2013 will be held in Orlando, Florida. The website for the Orange County Convention Center had listed Minecon as an upcoming event in November, with an attendance of 7,500, but then removed the event from the web page. Tickets went on sale in three batches each of 2,500 tickets on 31 July, 2 August, and 3 August. The first batch of 2,500 tickets were sold out in three seconds according to Mojang COO Vu Bui. The event took place on 2 and 3 November. Minecraft YouTubers like DanTDM, Thinknoodles, and ThnxCya joined.
2014 (Canceled)
On 30 March 2014, Lydia Winters revealed in a tweet that Minecon 2014 would be held in Europe. However, on 21 August 2014, CEO of Mojang, Vu Bui, created a blog post, stating that there would be no Minecon 2014, but instead the next Minecon would be in Spring 2015 in London. There is now a tooltip on the Minecraft: Console Edition loading screen that saysNo-one knows where Minecon 2014 was held. 3
2015
On 2 February 2015, Vu Bui announced Minecon 2015 would be held in London, at the ExCeL London Exhibition and Conference Centre on 4 and 5 July 2015. Ticket prices were announced on 18 March 2015 and were set at £129. During the opening ceremony on 4 July 2015 it was announced by Guinness World Records that Minecon won the world record for the most attendance for a convention that is solely for one game, selling 10,000 tickets.
2016
On 7 March 2016, Mojang announced in a blog post that Minecon 2016 would be held in Anaheim, California, at the Anaheim Convention Center on 24 and 25 September 2016. Tickets to the event were $160 per person, and toddlers aged 3 and under were admitted free. The Minecraft team received another award, as they sold 12,000 tickets, which sold out within seconds of going on sale. They announced new features during that time, such as the Minecraft novel, Minecraft: The Island, and an update coming to the console versions of the game.
MineCon capes
At each MineCon, attendees received an exclusive in-game cape. In 2011, attendees received a red cape with a Creeper face in the center, chosen in a vote by the community. In 2012, a dark blue cape with a golden pickaxe in the center, which was spoiled in Curse's "Swag Bag" video. In 2013, a jade green cape with an elevated piston in the center. In 2015, a dark cyan cape with the face of an Iron Golem. And, in 2016, a purple black cape with an Enderman's face on it.