Minecraft developer Mojang has firmly stated that it has no plans to integrate generative artificial intelligence into its game development process. As the use of generative AI in game development becomes increasingly prevalent, with examples like Activision's use of AI-generated art in Call of Duty: Black Ops 6 and Microsoft's development of Muse, an AI designed to generate game ideas, Mojang stands out by choosing to maintain a human-centric approach to creativity.
During a recent event attended by IGN, Minecraft Vanilla game director Agnes Larsson emphasized the importance of human creativity in the development of Minecraft, which has sold an astonishing 300 million copies, making it the best-selling game of all time. "Here for us, just like Minecraft is about creativity and creating," Larsson stated, "I think it's important that it makes us feel happy to create as humans. That's a purpose, [it] makes life look beautiful. So for us, we really want it to be our teams that make our games."
Ingela Garneij, executive producer of Minecraft Vanilla, further elaborated on this philosophy, highlighting the unique creative process that defines Minecraft. "For me, it's the thinking outside of the box part. This specific touch of: what is Minecraft? How does it look? That extra quality is really tricky to create through AI. We even try to have remote teams sometimes and guide them in building things for us, which has never worked, because you have to be here working together face-to-face," Garneij explained. She added, "I mean creativity is... you need to meet like this as a person, as a human to really truly understand the values and principles and the ecosystem, the lore, everything. It's so massive Minecraft, it's a planet, it's massive."
Mojang's commitment to human creativity continues to drive the game forward. The upcoming graphics update, titled Vibrant Visuals, is set to enhance the visual experience of Minecraft, and the company remains steadfast in its decision not to make the game free-to-play. This approach aligns with Mojang's broader strategy of continually improving and expanding the original game rather than developing a "Minecraft 2." Despite being 16 years old, Minecraft shows no signs of slowing down, and Mojang's dedication to human creativity ensures that generative AI will not find its way into the game's development process.
For more details on what's coming to Minecraft, be sure to check out everything announced at Minecraft Live 2025.
