With how popular Minecraft is around the world, one would have thought there’s virtually no children in the world with access to a computer or a console, who has not touched the game. Turns out there’s still a huge untapped market for the world-building game to conquer, China, and Microsoft has just made a crucial move to put Minecraft on the local market, announces the Mojang homepage.

We’ll always embrace opportunities to bring Minecraft to new players around the world, widening our community, and giving us a new perspective on our game,” “NetEase understand our long-term vision for Minecraft and support Mojang’s ideals, so we’re delighted to have them on board. We look forward to welcoming China’s builders and adventurers to the world of Minecraft.” – Jonas Martensson, Mojang CEO

Specifically, the Redmond company is entering a license agreement with leading Chinese internet technology firm NetEase, Inc. to produce a “tailored” version of Minecraft for Chinese game players. You might have seen a glimpse of how a Chinese version of Minecraft would have looked like through Minecraft’s Journey to the West skinpack – based on one of Chinese’s most popular fantasy literature works – released earlier this year; in other words, while the core gameplay will stay the same, local players may get a significantly different-looking visual alterations, as well as localized seasonal festivities experience.

“We are excited to bring Minecraft to Chinese audiences, and expect our large online community to embrace this preeminent game,” “With our deep understanding of the Chinese market and our ability to successfully launch world-renowned online and mobile games, we offer a strong platform for the introduction of Minecraft to China’s vast user base. We believe this cooperation could leverage the strengths of both Mojang and NetEase, as well as provide the world’s largest audience with a superior user experience.” – William Ding, Founder, NetEase, Inc.

Unfortunately, no information was given on exactly when Minecraft will appear in China (though it is most likely within the year), as well as which platform it will be appearing on first. Stay tuned for more Minecraft news, as well as other interesting Microsoft-related information and more.

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