Video game craze Minecraft digs up a board game

Phenomenally popular block-building video game Minecraft is being spun out into a board game.

The upcoming board game, simply called Minecraft (thanks, BoardGameGeek), is described as being a competitive experience for two to four people, with everyone trying to gather as many resources as they can while avoiding baddies such as zombies and creepers.

As in the video game, there’s an element of crafting, with players able to turn their resources into improved equipment and gear.

There’s also the suggestion that players will be building bases to attain victory, interacting directly with each other to steal resources and customise their construction.

A playthrough will take between half an hour and an hour, and the board game is aiming for a younger audience: eight and up. No release date has been given.

Outside of a rethemed Uno spin-off, the upcoming Ravensburger board game is only the second major outing for Minecraft on the tabletop, following the confusingly-titled Minecraft Card Game? in 2015.

That game saw players mining resources to craft cards for points, using the tools they made to gain skills and hoping to avoid TNT and creeper cards in the deck, and was met with a generally middling reception by players.