Minecraft has come a long way since its inception in 2011. It has since sold 100 million copies, received VR support, been used for training artificial intelligence, inspired a movie (release date is confirmed for 2019), and is now being developed as an education tool (debuts in November), but the latest might be the most bizarre yet: an official novel.
Yes, that's right, a novel. Speaking on Mojang's website, "word person" Marsh Davies revealed that not only would the game be getting a novel adaptation, titled Minecraft: The Island, but it would also be written by Max Brooks, the man probably most well-known for the apocalyptic zombie novel World War Z.
What will the novel be about? That's still unclear, but according to Davies, who took a peek at an early draft:
"Think cuboid Robinson Crusoe, but madder: a hero stranded in an unfamiliar land, with unfamiliar rules, learning to survive against tremendous odds. I've peeked at an early draft and it's entirely amazing, just as we knew it would be."
Why was Brooks chosen? Well, according to Lydia Winters, brand director of Mojang, the group knew Brooks was the right guy for the job from the moment they met with him.
"From our first meeting with Max, we knew he would be a perfect fit for our first foray into novels based on Minecraft," she said. "His enthusiasm and understanding of all things related to the game bring out the sense of wonder and possibility that so many players love about Minecraft - ourselves included."
This sentiment was reciprocated by Brooks, who said he can finally justify "all those hours [he] spent playing Minecraft."
In the meantime, the overall plot of Minecraft: The Island isn't the only thing that remains unclear. Things such as the release date or whether it will have ties to the movie are unknown; however, there appears to be some indication that it will be the first in a planned series of novels.
Publishing house Del Rey - the science fiction offshoot of Penguin Random House - is overseeing the project, and has already commented on the arrangement, saying it's "fortunate to have someone of Max's incredible talent and passion on board for the launch of the series."
This might be Mojang's and Minecraft's first foray into novels, but this certainly isn't Del Rey's first rodeo. The publisher has also released novelizations based on Microsoft's Halo series.
