Minecraft is killing the marketing game
Makeup, meal kits, crochet packs, and a live-action movie
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A Minecraft Movie released on April 4, 2025. Now, I can’t speak to the movie because I didn’t see it, but I can tell you what I did see – a clever, full-force, niche, successful marketing campaign.
If you’re unfamiliar, Minecraft is mining simulator game where players can dig for diamonds, craft pixel-y items, fight hostile “mobs,” befriend cozy animals, and explore a variety of biomes from jungles to dripstone caves to cherry blossom groves. According to Search Logistics, “Minecraft has over 204.33 million monthly active players,” “Minecraft’s user base consists of 54% males,” and “Players aged 15 to 21 account for 43% of the Minecraft user base.”
The movie (based on the video game) features Jack Black as “Steve,” the game’s base character, alongside a star-studded cast. “The film follows ‘four misfits’…who are pulled into the Overworld, a ‘bizarre, cubic wonderland that thrives on imagination,’” Samantha Stutsman wrote for People.
The live-action movie is doing better than predicted with a $163 million opening weekend, according to CNN. (If you’re looking for a movie review, read my former colleague Manuela López Restrepo’s piece for NPR!)
As a casual player of the game, I first started seeing ads for Minecraft-related content last August, specially Minecraft’s collaboration with cosmetics company Lush where they turned blocks from the game into bath bombs. Creepers become green lemongrass fizz, lava orange wafts with zesty lemon and bergamot, and diamond ore breaks into gray-blue blackcurrant bubbles. Lush even sold milk bucket shower jelly.
“Feel like you’re living in Survival mode?” The Minecraft x Lush landing page asks. “Fill your inventory with creative, handcrafted products for the bath and shower to help you blow away the stresses of the day.”
You bet I rushed to the mall for the limited-time sale, snagging a collection of skeleton heads, lava blocks, and Endermen to place in my very own crafting chest. Since then, I’ve seen ads on social media for Minecraft’s collaboration with Woobles, a crochet company, Nyx, a makeup company, Real Home Chef, an at-home-meal company, and McDonald’s toys.
What do these companies have in common?? A willingness to put aside the ridiculousness and say, “Yes, okay. What if we did do a collaboration with a video game company?” It’s the ultimate example of a beloved improv exercise, “Yes, and…” (I knew I was going to be annoying about this at some point).
Minecraft characters as IRL1 craft-able buddies? Yes, and Minecraft blocks as bold, portable blush and highlighter balms? Yes, and edible Minecraft meals with funny names and tie-ins to the game? YES, and!!
Another thing most of them have in common? Verbiage like “Limited time.” “Limited edition.” “Get yours now.”
Elusiveness = desirability.
Mojang, Minecraft’s parent company, knew exactly what they were doing with these collaborations. Any thorough marketing team would’ve put together a targeted audience segment – or, the kind of person they want their advertising to appeal to – in their preparation for campaigns of this size. You might think of Minecraft as a “boy’s” game, particularly a little boy’s game, but Mojang knows exactly who is most willing to buy their products.
You want to get your kids to eat dinner without complaining? Minecraft-themed chicken nuggets. Are you a gamer girl who loves a relaxing, lavender-scented bath at the end of the day? Done. Want a fun little crafting project to do while you watch TV? Bam, have a Wooble.
I’ll note here that the Federal Trade Commission has very strict standards for advertising to children, which is why targeting the parents of Minecraft lovers isn’t altogether surprising. However, if Minecraft had wanted to “play it safe,” they would’ve stuck to targeting the average Minecraft player, which according to Search Logistics is a 24-year-old male.
Instead, it seems like Mojang’s target audience segment leans stereotypically female, perhaps even within the 15-21 age group, as the company advertises Minecraft-themed bath bombs, makeup products, and crafting kits. Of course, this isn’t to say girls are the only ones who like these kinds of products. It’s to say that if we’re looking at these campaigns from a very practical standpoint, a marketing team on this scale would be focusing on activities more stereotypical to their desired audience.
“Minecraft's enduring appeal is evident in its staggering 166 million monthly players and over 600 million copies sold. The pandemic further solidified its cultural relevance,” SEO Expert Matthew Woodward writes for Search Logistics. “This game is more than just a pastime; it's a global phenomenon fostering creativity, community, and connection.”
Mojang’s strategy has been a masterclass in coming up with an idea and committing to it, no matter how big of a stretch it might seem. They’ve reimagined core tenets of their game into real products, exercising laudable creativity. All of these collaborations not only helped promote their video game, i.e. their product, but their movie, which also promotes their video game, i.e. their product.
“I bought Minecraft Java about 15 years ago for like $6, and I’m still getting free updates to this day. No ads, no DLCs,2 no battle pass. Thousands of hours played. Probably the best purchase of my life,” X user @SimMattically posted on the platform in response to an IGN announcement that “Minecraft won't go free-to-play any time soon.”
Despite the movie’s, well, memeability, the running joke is that it’s supposed to be bad. I mean, please. You can’t tell me this kind of animation style was meant to be taken seriously. As the adage in the social media field goes, “Any engagement is good engagement.”
As long as people are paying attention, Minecraft is winning.
Read my last video game story: Yes, we *are* all just Sims living in a simulation
My weekly roundup:
😇 What I’m Doing: Duolingo is out. ASL Bloom to learn sign language is in.
🎶 What I’m Listening To: “read receipts” by maxime.
🎞️ What I’m Watching: The Boys, Survivor, Lost, probably something else
🔎 What I’m Reading: “Fireweed” by Lauren Haddad
📱 What I’m Scrolling: White Lotus fallout is wrecking me
Read the full Gen Z Dictionary here.
IRL: In real life, as opposed to online
DLC: Downloadable content