Diving Into Minecraft: The Copper Age with Mojang Studios

After diving into The Happy Ghast update and Vibrant Visuals, which launched recently, we have been eagerly awaiting the next round of Minecraft news and updates, and the day is finally here! Minecraft Live took place today, and with that comes a pile of Minecraft news. Among that news was the release date for Minecraft: The Copper Age! Players will be able to jump into The Copper Age on September 30th!

Ahead of Minecraft Live, we were able to chat with Senior Product Manager for Minecraft, Anna Lundgren, who gave us some insight into The Copper Age, the copper golem, and what goes into bringing items or mobs back into the game, especially with input from fans.

We are here to talk about Minecraft: The Copper Age! So, what makes now the perfect time for this game drop?

Anna Lundgren: We originally added copper to Minecraft in 2021 as part of the Caves & Cliffs update. Since then, we’ve gradually added more and more ways to use it in your Minecraft world, like the copper bulbs and decorative copper blocks in the Tricky Trials update. We knew that the copper golem was a fan favourite from a past mob vote, so we thought it would fit really well with a game drop where we added even more copper items. This is one of the things I love about our game design process—especially since we switched to releasing multiple game drops a year, we can be really iterative and creative.

Why the choice to go with “The Copper Age” in the first place?

Anna Lundgren: We love coming up with delightful names for our updates, especially now that we’re releasing multiple game drops per year! “Bundles of Bravery,” “The Garden Awakens,” “Spring to Life,” and “Chase the Skies” are past examples. “The Copper Age” fits because we’re adding the copper golem and expanding uses for copper with a new tier of gear in between stone and iron.

 I saw some comments online about The Copper Age only really affecting the first couple of hours into Minecraft. What can you say to speak to that?

Anna Lundgren: That’s an interesting perspective! When we’re thinking about new features to add to Minecraft, we’re always trying to accommodate a range of different play styles and preferences, since Minecraft is loved by so many people all over the world. That includes features that are useful during all stages of a Minecraft world, whether you just spawned for the first time or you’re hanging out in your “forever world.”

The new copper armour, tools, and weapons in The Copper Age will definitely be more useful earlier on, since, in terms of functionality and durability, they fall between stone and iron. I think that makes sense, because with the changes to world generation we’ve made over the years, copper is now a bit easier to find than iron is, so copper gear can now provide a nice stepping stone in your progression.

But don’t forget, that’s not the only thing in this update! The copper golem and shelf blocks have many uses for different play styles, and I also want to emphasize the decorative aspects that all the new copper features have for more advanced Creative Mode players building complex structures in their worlds, especially since almost all copper items and blocks have a variety of different-coloured states as they oxidize. We can’t wait to see what players at all points in their journey do with them.

What sort of things can players expect in Minecraft: The Copper Age?  

Anna Lundgren: With The Copper Age, we wanted to bring back a fan-favourite mob from a previous mob vote, the copper golem, while also expanding on the uses for copper in Minecraft. The golem’s design has been updated compared with the first time we conceptualized it, and it can now help you sort items using the new copper chest. They also add life to players’ bases, and the copper golem statues are really fun for decoration.

In addition, copper gear will provide even more uses for copper and prove useful for players as they hunt for iron in their worlds. Lastly, we’re also adding the shelf block, which can let you easily swap items in and out of your hot bar—or you can just use them as decoration, since they come in different varieties for every wood type in Minecraft!

So the copper golem is here. Why was this important to bring back?

Anna Lundgren: We’re always listening to player feedback and trying to incorporate what the community wants, while also staying true to our own vision for what Minecraft can and should be. Even though the allay won the 2021 mob vote and was added to the game, we knew that the copper golem was another fan-favourite.

Since we’ve been gradually expanding how copper can be used, we thought now would be the perfect time to fulfill this community request and add the copper golem to the game. It’s not just about honouring player requests, but also doing it in a way that makes sense within the larger Minecraft universe—a philosophy that’s paying off more than ever thanks to our current strategy of releasing multiple game drops per year.

What about the copper golem do you think resonated so well with Minecraft fans, earning it runner-up in the 2021 mob vote?

Anna Lundgren: Of course, every mob that has appeared in a Minecraft mob vote over the years has its own fans, which speaks to the creativity of our development team. The copper golem seemed to especially resonate with fans for a few reasons: it’s cute, and it had potential to add more life to players’ bases. Since then, we updated the functionality to feel fresh and useful in the game today, while keeping the copper golem’s charm.

How does the Minecraft team implement bringing back something from the past? How do you balance nostalgia and fresh ideas?

Anna Lundgren: Great question! One thing that’s amazing about Minecraft is that since we’ve been adding features and content to the same core game over the last 16 years, it’s rare for anything to ever be removed. With a few exceptions, the features that players might be nostalgic for from 10 or 15 years ago are all still in the game! However, we have sometimes iterated on past features, and features often change over the course of development.

With the copper golem, we originally envisioned it as a sort of automaton that would have fun randomly pressing any nearby buttons. When we talked about adding it to the game this time around, we wanted to make it a bit more useful, which is where the item sorting function came from.

Another great example is the firefly bush! As many in the community know, we originally considered adding fireflies as a feature in a previous update, but it didn’t wind up making it into the game at that time. When we revisited fireflies in the Spring to Life drop, we decided to give players more control over where they appear, ultimately coming up with the current design for the firefly bush. I think that’s even better than the original feature, since it gives players more control over their worlds and empowers their creativity.

Could you tell us a bit about the specifics of the redesign of the copper golem? Are the changes just visual?

Anna Lundgren: Actually, the copper golem hasn’t changed much visually since its original debut in the 2021 mob vote—although it does oxidize over time and eventually turn into a statue if you don’t treat it with honeycomb! The main change is in its functionality—instead of pressing buttons, the copper golem now helps you sort items you place in the new copper chest, moving those items to nearby chests that contain similar items. I think this is consistent with the spirit of the copper golem, while making it more useful for a variety of play styles.

 Is there anything else in Minecraft: The Copper Age, new or returning, that was implemented because of the players?

Anna Lundgren: Personally, I think the shelf block is a really cool addition and shows the creativity of our designers. The shelf block is our unique way of acknowledging two longtime player requests—more inventory management features and other kinds of block shapes besides cubes, slabs, and stairs. The shelf block has many different looks depending on the type of wood you use to craft it, so it’s perfect for decorators looking to add some vertical flair to their builds, while redstone power can turn three adjacent shelf blocks into a full hot bar switcher.

And just for fun, what is your favourite part of Minecraft: The Copper Age?

Anna Lundgren: I love the helpfulness of the copper golem and all the new copper blocks, like the copper lantern, but my favourite is probably the new shelf block that allows for so many fun designs when I build!

Minecraft: The Copper Age goes live on September 30th!