Mojang has announced that it will not be releasing the full Caves & Cliffs update for Minecraft this summer, with the studio stating that due to the scope of the content it will have to be split into two parts. The first half of Caves & Cliffs will be released in the summer, while the latter half will be released in the winter. In a statement, the company also stated it was taking more time so the team was not overworked to hit a summer release.
In the statement, the company wrote:
We know this news is disappointing to many of you, but there are several reasons for this change. Firstly, we strive to deliver the most polished experience possible, and including all the Caves & Cliffs features in the summer update would have meant compromising on quality. And even though occasional bugs are a reality of game development, we want this update to be an amazing experience, not wreak havoc on your meticulously crafted worlds.
Because of the magnitude of this update and the dramatic changes it brings to the Overworld as a whole, there are also significant technical challenges we need to overcome before certain parts of the update are ready to ship. Take the completely revamped world generation, which affects all the caves and mountains in Minecraft. With this feature, we are completely reshaping the Overworld, including the build height. Not only do we have to consider every effect this can have on the world but also how it will affect performance. Basically, having more stuff in the game also slows it down and we want to avoid that.
Technical considerations aside, we also prioritize our team’s health. We’ve come to realize that to ship all the features in the summer we would’ve had to work very long hours; and even then, there would’ve been no guarantee that everything would be finished on time. Lastly, working from home as we cope with the pandemic is still challenging – not just in terms of morale but also by hindering teamwork. Because our workflow is so complex and collaborative, not having the option to walk up to someone and ask for help makes everything take longer.
What can players expect in the first part of the Caves and Cliffs update? Well, this summer there will be new blocks, new mobs, and new items. Mojang will do deep dives of what to expect later this year so it is best to keep an eye out for those. The Caves & Cliffs update was announced at Mojang Live and it is set to bring huge changes to the Minecraft experience.
Source: Minecraft.net
