It seems like every few days there’s another big milestone to celebrate in the Minecraft world. Today continues that trend as we pack on a few pounds eating birthday pancakes with the Minecraft Marketplace Team, which has just reached its 2 year anniversary since being launched!
For those of you who don’t know, the Minecraft Marketplace is an outlet within the Partner Program where creators are able to sell and distribute their Bedrock Minecraft creations (maps, data packs, skins, and more) to the masses.
The official anniversary of the Markeplace is actually tomorrow, June 1st, but as that lands on a Saturday the celebrations get to happen today before the offices are closed for the weekend.
Earlier today we had the pleasure of being able to chat with Quinn Richter, Program Manager of the Minecraft Partner Program, about the Marketplace and its effect on the community. After 2 years of curating content with community creators, developers, artists, and builders, Quinn is bound to have a few neat things to share with us.
If only he had shared those birthday pancakes that everyone in the offices were able to get. You’re holding out on us, Quinn!
Let’s get right into the questions we had for Quinn:
1. Who are you and how long have you been with the Partner Program and Marketplace?
QR: I’ve been working on the Marketplace since it’s inception about 2 and a half years ago. I started on the team producing our 1st Party DLC for Bedrock. I built the initial processes for “ingesting” (taking raw content and getting it up on our servers/backend) content. Now I work as a Program Manager for the Partner Program, working with our Devs to help build the right features for Partners, and really acting as the “voice of Partners and Creators” to the Microsoft/Mojang team.
2. Do you have a favorite memory of your time with the Partner Program?
QR: I have two favorite memories. One is when Eneija told us she was able to pay off all of her student loans and buy a car for the first time ever because of the business she was able to build from the Marketplace and Partner Program. (Additionally many Partners have gone “full-time” into Minecraft content creation quitting their fast food or retail jobs)
And second is a recent story, I can’t say who the partner is, for their safety. They are a gay man living in Saudi Arabia. They had shipped content on the Marketplace through Pathway Studios and recently became their own partner. From the Marketplace they have been able to escape literal persecution, and are moving to the UK at the end of the summer.
The Marketplace has literally changed lives and now someone can not be afraid for their life and be who they are. Without the marketplace and the money they received from selling their content, they would never have been able to leave their country.
3. Any advice for new creators who want to become Partners on how to prepare and improve their chance of being accepted?
QR: It’s all about your portfolio. We get 30+ applications a day and our team reviews every single application. (The problem is this takes a lot of time leading to delays, which we’re fully aware of and making steps to address).
Many of these applications don’t have a website with videos, or screenshots showing they can actually make Minecraft and Bedrock content.
4. Can you clarify if Java creators can get involved in the Partner Program and Marketplace?
QR: We love our Creators who work in Java, I had a fantastic time meeting and talking to them at the Stockholm Creator Summit. They are the reason the Marketplace exists today.
The thing is though, there are already so many creators who apply that are primarily Bedrock creators, with a portfolio of content made in Bedrock.
So I would encourage any Java Creators who want to join the Partner Program to dig into Bedrock. Mess around with Blockbench and make a mob, experiment with all our Data-Driven tech, try out scripting, etc. Bedrock has quickly become a fantastic spot for content creators and it’s only going to get more features and improve.
All creators have an equal opportunity to join the program. (Editor’s emphasis) But it’s ultimately what we see that exists (in a portfolio) that will lead us to accepting an application.
5. Insert obligatory, “Want to share any secrets about the future?” question here. ;-D
QR: Hmm… Don’t sleep on Bedrock, data driven entities are just a start. There’s so many Creator specific features that are on the roadmap that will allow amazing content to be created.
Can’t really share any more specific secrets than that 🙂
Thank You Quinn Richter!
We hope that you all enjoyed this short interview with Quinn about the Marketplace while celebrating its birthday. Are you a Marketplace Partner and have some stories you’d like to share about your experiences? Sound off in the comments below, and make sure you leave a link to your portfolio!
Happy Birthday Minecraft Marketplace! May you see many more years to come. 🙂