Minecraft isn't going free-to-play as Mojang didn't build it to work that way

After 16 years on the market, it doesn't look like Minecraft is going to be heading towards a free-to-play model anytime soon. The game started out as a premium experience, and as the best-selling game of all-time, it doesn't see any reason to change.

Speaking with IGN, Ingela Garneij, executive producer of Vanilla Minecraft said that a free-to-play model would clash with the foundations of Minecraft. "I mean we built the game for a different purpose. So monetization doesn't work in that way for us. It's a purchase of the game and then that's it. For us it's important that our game is available for as many people as possible. And so I think that's a very core value that it should be accessible for everyone. It's the best deal in the world," she said.

"What's important for us is that many people can enjoy it still and that's going on strong still," she continued. With millions of players still, it's hard to argue Minecraft hasn't found continued success, and while it may open itself to some new players if it went free-to-play, it's difficult to think of this mystical person who would get Minecraft but only if it was free.