Minecraft Releases Marketplace Pass

Minecraft has introduced Marketplace Pass, a new subscription service that promises access to a rotating array of community-created content and some extras at $3.99 per month. Although this offering has some overlap with Realms Plus, it's meant to coexist alongside other Minecraft subscriptions.

This development arrives less than a month ahead of the seven-year release anniversary of the Minecraft Marketplace. Mojang's official storefront allowing creators to monetize their content is limited to the Bedrock Edition of the hit sandbox game, so this newly launched subscription service is, as well.

As for what exactly is on offer here, the day-one version of Minecraft Marketplace Pass that's now available for purchase delivers access to over 150 pieces of community-created content featured on the storefront. Subscribers also get to claim some time-limited Character Creator items as part of their membership, priced at $3.99 per month. Both the Marketplace content and item bonuses will rotate on a monthly basis. However, claimed Character Creator items will remain tied to one's Minecraft account forever, even if they stop renewing their subscription.

The quoted $3.99 price is for stateside users only, with Mojang noting that pricing in other regions of the world varies. That notwithstanding, players from all across the globe can enroll in a free 30-day trial of the Marketplace Pass. The newly debuted service has some overlap with Realms Plus, which offers access to the same Marketplace content catalog at $7.99 per month. However, while its more expensive counterpart also comes with a personal Minecraft server for the user and up to ten of their friends to play on, Marketplace Pass is marketed as a more affordable, single-player alternative to that subscription.

Mojang says that its curated catalog will prioritize variety and quality, noting how the day-one version of Marketplace Pass already includes everything from adventure worlds and survival spawns to skin and texture