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Minecraft's Caves & Cliffs update split into two parts

Citing the size and scope of the Caves & Cliffs update and the challenges presented by a COVID-19 world, Mojang Studios will now split its Caves & Cliffs update into two pieces.

Ozzie Mejia

April 14, 2021 10:50 AM

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Mojang Studios had some grand plans for Minecraft's next big update. In fact, it now appears that they've proven to be too grand. Citing everything that the studio is shooting for, as well as the current state of a COVID-19 ravaged world, Mojang announced on Wednesday that the Minecraft Caves & Cliffs update would not be fully released on time. However, that doesn't mean the whole thing is delayed. Instead, one part of the update will release this summer, while the other part has been pushed back for Holiday 2021.

Mojang has cited several reasons for this decision, both through the video posted above and through the Minecraft website. A big one is that the new update will prove to be more technically demanding than anything that has come before it. Because Mojang is looking to add mountains and caves to the Minecraft experience, much of the game will need to be rebuilt in order to allow for greater heights. This includes revamping some of the game's effects, as well as tightening its performance.

More than that, however, Mojang is wary of the pandemic environment, as well as crunch culture. In an effort to not overwork their employees, the team is exercising caution and pushing back the full Caves & Cliffs package. But while the whole thing won't be ready for this summer, the team wanted to release something to its player base, which is what led to the decision of splitting the update into two pieces.

Part one of the Caves & Cliffs update will focus on new biome blocks and mobs. Some of this was seen during the update's initial reveal back at October's Minecraft Live event. Specifics can be found on the Minecraft FAQ.

Mojang Studios will also continue work on its other projects, which includes continuing updates for Minecraft Dungeons. We'll be on the lookout for any further announcements from the house that built Minecraft, so keep it on Shacknews for more updates.

Ozzie Mejia

Senior Editor

Ozzie has been playing video games since picking up his first NES controller at age 5. He has been into games ever since, only briefly stepping away during his college years. But he was pulled back in after spending years in QA circles for both THQ and Activision, mostly spending time helping to push forward the Guitar Hero series at its peak. Ozzie has become a big fan of platformers, puzzle games, shooters, and RPGs, just to name a few genres, but he’s also a huge sucker for anything with a good, compelling narrative behind it. Because what are video games if you can't enjoy a good story with a fresh Cherry Coke?