Microsoft is continuing on its mission to use Minecraft in education with the news that it's acquired MinecraftEdu, a company that makes a modified Minecraft specifically for the classroom. Additionally, Microsoft said that it’s launching a new Minecraft Education Edition for schools this summer.
Mojang, the Sweden-based game development studio that shot to prominence due to its work on Minecraft, was acquired by Microsoft for $2.5 billion in 2014. MinecraftEdu said that it’s been working with Microsoft ever since “to plan for the future,” though has kept the discussions private until now.
The education incarnation of Minecraft offers features specifically for students and educations. For example, there are enhanced maps with coordinates to help collaborative navigating, while young learners can also take snapshots to save in their Student Portfolio section. There is also an “enhanced multiplayer” mode that lets up to 40 individuals create a Minecraft world in unison.
Above: Minecraft Education
Microsoft said that it plans to keep the price at $5 per user per year, though there will also be a free trial version of the software when it arrives this summer.
Though this marks the first official education edition of Minecraft from Microsoft, the popular game is already being used in thousands of classrooms around the world, and Microsoft reckons it’s a good way to learn digital citizenship, empathy, social skills, and literacy.
This isn’t the first time Microsoft has pushed Minecraft in education though. Back in November, the Seattle-based company teamed up with Code.org to launch a Minecraft tutorial to teach kids how to code. This was to mark Code.org’s annual Hour of Code campaign, in December.
In the wake of its acquisition by Microsoft, MinecraftEdu said that it will be business as usual for its existing customer base, and will continue to offer its wares until Microsoft’s new version lands this summer.