Minecraft RTS spinoff reportedly in the works

The Minecraft games are all about building whatever you can think of, and it seems developer Mojang is in a building process of its own right now. The series is ripe for more spinoffs, and a Minecraft real-time strategy (RTS) game is reportedly in the works.

The report comes from games journalist Jeff Gerstmann, who broke the news on his Twitch stream. “There is a new Minecraft spinoff in the works,” Gerstmann said plainly. “It seems like it is a real-time strategy game.” The information is based on screenshots that Gerstmann claims to have seen. “You’re controlling a Steve-esque unit on the field and ordering your units around in a third-person view,” he continued. Enemy mobs like Piglins were seen in the screenshots, and there was talk of a story and cutscenes — the kind of presentation you’d expect in a game like this.

The Minecraft RTS is said to be in development under a codename, and it’s in a very unfinished state. It hasn’t been announced yet of course, but there is plenty of opportunities for that to happen soon. “Perhaps it’s something Microsoft will be announcing over the next week,” Gerstmann pondered. With the Xbox and Bethesda Games Showcase airing this Sunday, June 12, and a second Xbox stream set for Tuesday, June 14, Microsoft does seem to be in a good position to reveal the game.

Mechanically, a Minecraft RTS makes sense. The main game is already focused on resource gathering and crafting. An RTS would simply streamline that with specific units and building prefabs, with more of a focus on strategic combat. It’s easy to picture how different combat scenarios could be seeded just like a Minecraft world too.

Of course, an RTS wouldn’t be the first Minecraft spinoff. Minecraft Dungeons is quite popular, having hit 15 million players earlier this year. Most recently, the dungeon-delver received new content with the Luminous Night update.