Minecraft Earth closed beta launches on iOS first: Here’s how to sign up

By Aaron Mamiit Published July 14, 2019

The closed beta of the highly anticipated Minecraft Earth will launch within the next two weeks on iOS, with the Android version to follow soon.

The information was shared in a blog post on the official Minecraft website, in which it was also said that the number of participants in the closed beta will be limited in numbers and locations. Players’ progress will occasionally be reset while the various features of the game are being developed and tested. These are pretty standard characteristics of closed beta releases.

The sign-up sheet is still open for players who would like to try their luck at being chosen as one of the closed beta testers of the augmented reality version of Minecraft. The only requirements are that the applicant should be at least 18 years old, with a smartphone that runs on either Android 7.0 Nougat or iOS 10. Applicants will also need to input their Microsoft or Xbox Live account, both of which may be created for free. In exchange for signing up, players will receive an exclusive skin.

Chosen participants will be informed through an invitation email, but being selected comes with the responsibility of playing Minecraft Earth at least once every seven days. Players who cannot find time to test the app will lose their spot to someone else who will be a more active participant.

The launch on iOS first for the Minecraft Earth closed beta is not a surprise, as the first glimpse of live gameplay was shown at Apple’s WWDC. A specific launch date was not specified, but given the two-week time frame for the release of the closed beta for the iOS, it will arrive within the month.

Minecraft Earth will be a free-to-play game that will heavily use AR technology, as it will always map in-game elements to the real world. The game will feature Tapables, which are things that players can tap on their screens to gather rewards, and Adventures, which are mini-games linked to specific real-world locations.

Minecraft Earth will continue the success of Minecraft, which has sold more than 176 million copies as of May, possibly making it the best-selling video game of all time.

Topics

Contributor

Aaron received a NES and a copy of Super Mario Bros. for Christmas when he was 4 years old, and he has been fascinated with…

Gaming

Netflix games may be coming to TVs soon, as revealed by new iOS app

Selecting a game in Netflix Games.

It looks like Netflix might be expanding its gaming offerings to TVs soon, as a Netflix Game Controller is now on the iOS App Store. Netflix has yet to announce or comment on the purpose of the app, but a message shown when the app boots up confirms that it's coming.
Netflix has slowly made its way into the gaming industry over the past couple of years, acquiring studios and adding a dedicated game section to its mobile app that lets players download premium mobile games. The library includes some great games like Poinpy and Before Your Eyes, but has yet to break into the mainstream, likely due to its somewhat obscure availability. This new app, which was preemptively listed on Apple's storefront by Netflix and lines up with leaks from earlier this year, indicates that Netflix Games are coming to the TV.
The description for the app states that "this Game Controller app pairs with your TV and allows you to play games on Netflix using your phone or mobile device." After downloading and booting up the app, Digital Trends discovered two more messages asking players to "choose a game on your TV and follow the directions to connect" and that "Netflix Games on TV are in beta. Some devices may not be supported at this time."
All of this points to an impending beta rollout for games on Netflix's TV apps, which has not been announced yet. As such, we don't have any idea about which televisions or games the iOS app or Netflix Games on TV will support just yet. Regardless, this looks like a massive evolution for Netflix's gaming efforts, especially as it gears up to release a cloud gaming service.
Netflix declined to comment on the program when asked by Digital Trends, but it did refer us to previous statements it made about its intentions to break into cloud and TV game streaming.

Gaming

Honkai Star Rail Sunright Tea Studio Event: how to attend, rewards, and meetup details

honkai star rail sunright tea studio event kafka holding card

HoYoverse is no stranger to collaborations. It even held a launch week event in Times Square for Honkai Star Rail, where fans could take pictures with a replica of the Astral Express and professional cosplayers dressed as the main cast. This time, HoYoverse announced a new global event for Honkai Star Rail related to bubble tea shops. It’s directly related to the "Sunright Tea Studio Event."

Cosmic Refreshment Supply, the global event in question, offers Honkai Star Rail fans a way to get merch by purchasing drinks from HoYoverse partners across the globe. Sunright Tea Studio, a popular bubble tea chain from California, is HoYoverse’s partner for the event in the United States. Other event partners include Happy Lemon in the Philippines, KOI in Malaysia, and CHAGEE in Singapore.

Gaming

Fortnite Artifact Axe: how to destroy stones and best location

Animated image showing Fortnite Artifact Axe

Anyone who plays Fortnite long enough will come to love its yearly summer festivities, and as usual, this year's Summer Escape Event has proven to be a great time for players looking to engage in fun quests and earn new cosmetics. This week provides a new quest that tasks you with destroying 10 stones in battle royale mode, which offers you the reward of a new harvesting tool known as the Artifact Axe. If you're wondering what qualifies as a stone and how to destroy them, we'll give you the details below.
How to destroy stones in Fortnite to earn the Artifact Axe
First of all, you've probably hidden behind some of these stones before because, well, the game is actually just referring to the large rocks you can find scattered all across the map. Some are larger than others, but they're all easily identifiable and can be destroyed by smacking them repeatedly with a harvesting tool. In other words, you're quite likely to run across plenty of them playing naturally, especially if you spend any time in forests or along the coast.

If you're wanting to know of a spot that will help you knock the quest out quicker, you can try heading to the beach to the south of Kenjutsu Crossing at the bottom of the map.