You'll need a Microsoft account to play Minecraft: Java Edition

When it comes to voxel games, few have left their mark in a more profound way than Minecraft, and it is still going strong today, which is the best-selling game of all times as of the writing of this article.

Fans of the game are probably familiar with the fact that the game exists in two versions:

• Minecraft: Java Edition
• Minecraft for Windows 10

Well, ever since Mojang was bought by Microsoft, many changes have come to the game, and it seems a new one will be landing next year that will improve security.

Minecraft: Java Edition will be played only via Microsoft accounts

Up until now, playing Minecraft: Java Edition still required you to log in with the account you purchased the game on, the only difference was that that account could be of any kind, such as Yahoo or Gmail.

However, according to a post on the Minecraft forums, this will all change by next year since Microsoft accounts will now be mandatory in order to play the game.

All players now need to migrate to a Microsoft account

Apparently, this change was done to benefit the player, since Mojang stated that Microsoft offered more features compared to any other type of account:

• Increased security for your account with two-factor authentication. In other words, it’s harder for someone to access your account without your permission.   
• All your PC Minecraft games will be connected to the same account. Currently, that’s Minecraft and Minecraft Dungeons, but who knows what we’ll do next?   
• Improved parental controls to help keep kids safe when playing online.   
• Chat and invitation blocking.  

The migration will be as seamless as possible

The good news is that the migration itself will be the only change that players will actually feel, since all mods will still be functional, they will be able to keep their skins, and even their usernames.

On the other hand, Mojang also wanted to underline the fact that the transition is mandatory, and there won’t be any workarounds to the process.

The bright side to all of this is that Microsoft is preparing a small prize for those that go through the migration in the form of an in-game cape that they can use.

However, since Minecraft: Java Edition is played by so many players (~30 million), the transition will not be done in one single move.

Instead, it will be done in batches, and everyone that owns the game will get detailed instructions on how to migrate to a Microsoft account once their turn is up.

What’s your take on this change to one of the world’s most popular video games? 

Let us know what you think by leaving us your thoughts in the comments section below.

[wl_navigator]