Minecraft Legends aims to delve in a point in Minecraft history that has yet to be explored. This has implications for both the lore of the world and for future storytelling methods. Ever since dungeons were added to Minecraft back in its alpha developmental phase, many have pondered what kind of history the in-game universe held.
The potential for official lore inside Minecraft has only grown over the years thanks to the addition of abandoned mineshafts, the Ender Dragon, and all kinds of other details. There are clear signs of ancient civilizations and conflicts, but there's nothing concrete in terms of what it might have looked like.
Minecraft's History With Lore
With the release of more recent updates and the introduction of spin-off titles, Minecraft's lore has increased substantially in the last few years. Previously, mineshafts, strongholds, and the occasional dungeon were all the world had to offer. There was always a hint of history to the world, but never much more than that. But with the addition of the mysterious Allays in Minecraft 1.19, as well as ancient cities, there's more evidence than ever to suggest that grand civilizations existed before the player arrived.
Minecraft Legends makes it seem like Mojang intends to deepen Minecraft's lore. Minecraft Legends shows that Nether portals have the ability to spread a sort of corruption, which was hinted at by the ruined Nether portals added to the game two years before Minecraft Legends was announced. Minecraft Legends takes place at the time the ruined portals were created, making it a prequel to the original game. However, Mojang has stated the game is an elaboration of a myth, making it unreliable in the canon. This means the events of Minecraft Legends are in the paradoxical position of being neither totally true nor false. Regardless, the existence of myths suggests that Mojang intends to deepen the Minecraft universe from a storytelling standpoint. If this trend continues, Minecraft may see new forms of storytelling that have yet to be used, such as lore books.
If Mojang intends to give Minecraft history more depth, lore books might be just what they need. Lore books are not a new idea when it comes video games. Franchises like The Elder Scrolls often use them to tell grand stories that enrich the history of their respective worlds, but for a video game like Minecraft, this would be completely unheard of. The closest Minecraft has gotten to written in-game lore are certain music discs which to tell a story through sounds rather than words. Much of current in-game lore is purely interpretive, with a broad amount of possibilities but with nothing set in stone.
While written lore doesn't exist within the game, there do exist hard copy books such as Mobestiary, which details the anatomy of every Minecraft mob at the time of its release. This is where the distinction between in-game and out-of-game lore begins to get a little muddy. While some sources continue to push the idea that the Minecraft universe has a detailed history, the original game does the opposite. Most in-game lore references are vague, making it more of an interpretive, visual experience. Lore books might be counter-intuitive in that case, going against the pre-established grain.
Whatever Mojang does after Minecraft Legends, it will ultimately endorse one style of storytelling over another. If precedent for the original game continues, then fans can expect more of the interpretive style Minecraft in update 1.20 and beyond. If not, a new age of world building and lore will come to Minecraft, giving new insight into Minecraft's untold history.
Minecraft Legends releases in early 2023 for PC, PS4, PS5, Switch, Xbox One, and Xbox Series X/S.
