Microsoft opening new Minecraft marketplace to sell user-made content

Microsoft and Mojang will be opening up a new Minecraft storefront for selected user-made content on mobile and Windows 10 platforms. 

The marketplace will launch along with the game's 1.1 Discovery update later this spring, and will give approved creators the ability to sell Minecraft skins, maps, and other assets using Minecraft Coins -- a brand new virtual currency

Players will be able to buy Minecraft Coins through in-app purchases on their respective device. Mojang believes the virtual currency was the right way to go as it "lets creators set flexible prices and take their share of what they sell."

As for what creators will earn, Mojang says store platforms will take a 30 percent cut whenever a purchase is made through the marketplace, but promises creators will get "the majority" after that.

"The idea is to give Minecraft creators another way to make a living from the game, allowing them to support themselves in the creation of ever-greater projects, while giving Pocket and Windows 10 players access to a growing catalogue of fun stuff," reads a blog post on the Minecraft website.

"For players, you’ll be able access whatever you buy across devices using your (free) Xbox Live account. We’re currently talking with our platform partners about how to make this happen."

A number of popular creators, such as Noxcrew, BlockWorks, Qwertyuiop The Pie, Blockception, Sphax, Eneija Silverleaf, Imagiverse, Polymaps and Razzleberry Fox, will be propping up the store on launch, but applications are open to anyone registered as a business. 

For more on the new storefront, including how to register as a creator, head on over to the Minecraft blog.