There has been a lot of recent discussion around Minecraft events following the same formula in terms of rosters, gameplay, scheduling, and more. In this article, we’ll explore some of the common complaints people have been sharing, dig into why this “formula” for events exists, and discuss if, or how, we can break the mould.
There are more events than you realise.
There are a lot of Minecraft events out there. Most people in the Minecraft event space will have at least heard of the most popular tournaments like MC Championship, Block Wars, and Pandora’s Box – and people who follow the event space more actively will likely have heard of additional ones like MC Mayhem, MC Mania, Biome Battle, Blissful Championship, and others.
Whilst those are perhaps some of the more recognised titles, there are actually hundreds of Minecraft events out there – with new ones joining the fray every month. Many of these events actually do have varied rosters, give opportunities to small creators, use new and unique formats, aren’t just minigames, and also tick a lot of the boxes that event players and viewers have been clamouring for. But not following the “formula” – whether intentional (e.g. as part of the event’s “Unique Selling Point”) or through circumstance (not being able to pull in bigger creators despite attempts to) – brings with it its own range of marketing problems.
Of course, not all events are focused on marketing and growth to begin with – some were designed specifically to be played by a group of friends or another specific community. Because of this, people outside of that target audience are also less likely to have heard of them.
Why aren’t there more opportunities for smaller creators?
First, let’s reframe the question. If there are so many events out there, why don’t we hear about opportunities for smaller creators?
Events are incredibly reliant on their players for marketing. After all, most viewers watch events because they enjoy a particular creator taking part – not for the event itself. Therefore, it follows that events that have smaller creators playing in them, will reach fewer people – so whilst there are a lot of them around, you’re less likely to have heard of them.
A creator having a larger following not only helps with marketing an event, but also comes with another implication that many don’t consider – how creators get such followings. A strong following and good viewership are typically indicators of the creator having good charisma, being entertaining, making content consistently and regularly (if not at present, then in the past) and having experience as a content creator. There are a lot of factors that go into into choosing event players, which could be a whole separate article – and of course, there are still hidden gems with smaller followings – but larger creators being selected is why many events seem to prioritise creator size and “clout factor”, when that may not be the full story.
This is certainly not to say that you shouldn’t apply for events that are “out of your league”. However, if you’re struggling to get accepted into events, it may be worth looking for smaller and newer events in addition – there are lots of options out there for small creators if you know where to look. If you have twenty followers and have only streamed once in the last year, pinning all your hopes on getting into the biggest events like MCC or Block Wars is almost certainly going to lead to disappointment.
Why do events share similar rosters, and have lots of returning players instead of getting in new players?
There are lots of reasons for events to have returning players or share rosters with other events. The largest comes down to risk – better the devil you know!
Having played in previous events means that event organisers are more likely to be able to judge both your skill, and how well you fit into a team. Both of these factors can be very useful for team making and balancing. It’s also helpful for vetting, as organisers can directly see how you behave in the event environment, and whether you’re a good fit for the event. Therefore, where there is a choice, event organisers will often pick a mainly recurring or already known cast, with just a few new “wild card” players they have to be more wary of.
Players may also be offered returning spots as a way of thanks for previous support, or in order to establish “Ambassadors” of the event. Knowing that someone is very enthusiastic, has enjoyed the event previously, and is likely to spread positive energy to other players, viewers and strangers alike, can be very good from an event marketing perspective.
Whilst many events do stick largely to recurring casts, there are also those that are open to, or even specifically seek out new players. This may be in the form of special events (e.g. MCC Rising), regular events that are just separated from their main roster (e.g. Biome Battle Minis or Blissful Championship Affinity), or amongst their regular recruitment (e.g. The Quiz LIVE does not usually have players return within the same season).
Why are all the most well-known events minigame tournaments?
Despite initial appearances from all the most well-known events being minigame tournaments, there are actually quite a few non-minigame events out there. To name just a few series:
- Creator Conquest: a hardcore PvP game, in the style of a UHC but still allowing natural health regeneration.
- Ice Boat Racing Invitational: an ice boat racing tournament featuring a mixture of “professional” ice boat racers, as well as creators who are new to the racing scene.
- CHALLY’s Hide & Seek: a series featuring hide & seek gameplay and proximity chat, with events for both Java and Bedrock Editions.
- One Shot Royale: a social battle royale with proximity chat, in which getting hit by an arrow means instant death.
- The Quiz LIVE: a gameshow in which three streamers go head-to-head in rounds of Minecraft trivia, all livestreamed in an in-game studio with moving cameras.
Perhaps the two largest reasons for non-minigame events not getting so much spotlight are popularity and frequency. Firstly, minigame events are often simply the most popular amongst viewers and players. They usually offer a variety of gameplay, and as such have wide appeal amongst players regardless of their genre preferences. Short rounds and relatively simple gameplay make it easy for viewers to drop in or out of the stream.
Because non-minigame tournaments are often more niche, their appeal is automatically narrower. For example, someone who dislikes or is neutral towards parkour may still play in or watch a minigame event where parkour is one game out of eight, but is less likely to be interested in applying for or watching a parkour-specific tournament.
Frequency is also a key factor, as minigame tournaments are often easily repeatable without needing massive behind-the-scenes overhauls between events. As such, most minigame tournaments run every month or every few months, which means they benefit from that regular marketing – which in turn brings more fans and larger staff teams. Like the advice given in many forms of content creation – consistency and regularity are massively helpful for growth.
A lot of non-minigame tournaments, meanwhile, are one-offs or less regular events. For many, this is because a much larger and more integral portion of the event has to be remade every time in order to keep them fresh. For example, Hide & Seek events and ice boat racing tournaments may have to build completely new maps to prevent players from getting too familiar with them.
Event organisers shouldn’t take this to mean running non-minigame tournaments is a lost cause. With the right strategies and opportunities, a non-minigame competition could become one of the most popular events in the space in the future, and revolutionise this corner of the Minecraft community.
Why are events always on weekends?
Saturday remains the busiest day of the week for events, although events are increasingly utilising Sundays as well to avoid clashes with MC Championship and Block Wars. There are also some events that run late on a Friday. Events on other weekdays are very rare, usually being limited to events tied around a specific streamer’s content, or big events sponsored by companies that can offer a financial incentive and/or almost exclusively target full-time creators.
Even with players being lost to competing events, weekends remain the time that the most players and viewers are free, due to many having full-time jobs and/or studies to attend during the week. Weekend events also open up possibilities for players from more time zones – for example, an event on a European weekday evening would be during the average work day for players from the Americas, and very early in the morning for anyone from Oceania – ruling out most of both time zone groups.
Whilst there would certainly be some creators for whom weekday events would be fine or even better, realistically the player base would be too restricted for more than a small event, unless it had a lot of marketing power and/or budget behind it to reach the right creators.
Why don’t new events come in and break the mould?
When you first start running an event, it can be very hard to do that first bit of marketing needed to get the event off the ground. This is especially true for event organisers that aren’t already established parts of the event scene, and therefore may not have a network of contacts to lean on for support, whether that be as players or other admins. With the bigger, well-known events like MC Championship often acting as inspiration for people to organise their own event, many new organisers go into running events with unrealistic expectations for how their event will perform when they start out.
In addition, a lot of creators won’t take a chance on new events either. With so many events out there, it’s often safer and more appealing to play in the biggest, most established events they can get accepted to – after all, creators have to keep their own viewers, content quality, and growth in mind.
Both of these points, however, can make it very hard for new organisers to “break the mould”. Instead, many will follow the well-trodden routes – a minigame tournament on a weekend, with the roster made up of the biggest, most established players in the event space as the organiser can get. Considering events often take months, sometimes years of hard work, who can blame them for recreating what they’ve seen other organisers make so successfully?
How can the event community help “break the mould”?
In my eyes, the only way the mould will be broken is for those that want it, to push for it – by uplifting the event organisers who are actively pushing the boundaries, taking on the challenge of less marketable events regardless of the difficulties that will cause.
It’s these events and organisers that are a lot of the reason that Sphere News has come to be. Time and time again, I see events struggling to get enough applications to run, or to find staff to support them. This is despite clamouring from established event players that they want to see something like it. So many people want the mould to be broken in theory, but aren’t willing to put in the work, take a risk, or support something that could.
I remember the heartbreak (years ago now) of having to cancel a Minecraft event with a unique premise that I had worked hard on, because it received just one application. I’ve had to axe many different events and shows in my years as an organiser, and whilst always difficult, cancelling a show for unresolvable production difficulties is nowhere near as upsetting as losing a ready-to-go event due to lack of player interest. It was a massive knock to my confidence as an event organiser, and nearly caused me to quit running events entirely. This isn’t meant to be a sob story, and I’ve learnt a lot since then on the marketing side – but it does show that it takes a lot more than wanting to break the mould, to truly break the mould, and it’s not something anyone can do alone.
To that end, here are a few ways you can support the mould-breakers:
- Look for them. Don’t just wait for them to come to you, because most of the time (due to their marketing challenges) they can’t! You can find new events through searches on social media like X and Bluesky, or through update accounts and press sources like Sphere News.
- Shout about them if you find them! If you know people who might be interested in playing or watching, sharing the event and getting the word out there is a massive help – even if you’re not available or interested in playing yourself.
- Share opportunities you see for partnerships, press, and marketing, with your favourite small event organisers.
- Continue to support the event afterwards. If you liked the event and want more, tell the organiser, and the world that! If you didn’t like the event, constructive feedback is invaluable for event organisers to be able to improve.
Whilst the event space isn’t perfect, I hope this article has been helpful in understanding why the event space is the way it is from a practical / organiser perspective, and brought awareness of some of the opportunities out there that are just waiting to be discovered. I’m excited for what the next few years in the Minecraft event space will bring. Despite the challenges, I have hope that continued discussions around these issues will spark change, with new “mould-breakers” emerging into the Minecraft event space, and both new and existing events rising to new heights.
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