5 best references to other franchises in Minecraft

Minecraft has been around for more than 15 years and managed to not only stay relevant, but popular throughout. This is not an easy feat to achieve and the popularity of the game shows that it has become a household name. While there are many other pop culture references to Minecraft, the game also has some easter eggs for other franchises.

Note: This article is subjective and reflects the author's opinions.

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5 best references in Minecraft to other franchises

Minecraft has some great easter eggs (Image via Mojang Studios)

In this article, we will be listing down all the five best references to other popular movies and games in Minecraft. From paintings that can easily be crafted and seen to hidden names that are quite difficult to find, let’s take a look at the list.

1) Johnny

The Johnny easter egg (Image via Mojang Studios)

Johnny might not sound like an easter egg as it is just a name. But this is a reference to something very popular. When a player names a Vindicator mob “Johnny,” it starts acting like a Zoglin mob, attacking everyone around it except a few mobs. For those who are wondering, this is a reference to the antagonist from The Shining movie and novel.

Johnny is the man in the novel and the movie who goes mad and starts attacking his own family. This was quite a neat and clever easter egg as Johnny in the movie also gets an ax to break open the door.

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2) Technoblade

Technoblade easter egg in the game (Image via Reddit/Nitsuuhan/Mojang Studios)

Technoblade is not exactly a franchise but considering that the YouTube channel has millions of subscribers, it can be considered one on loose terms. Technoblade was one of the most beloved Minecraft creators who sadly passed away a few years ago, leaving a lot of fans heartbroken.

Mojang Studios made a heart-warming gesture by adding a beautiful easter egg on the launch screen of the game where a pig can be seen wearing a golden crown—the avatar of Technoblade—to honor the legacy of the YouTuber.

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3) Donkey Kong painting

Donkey Kong easter egg in the game (Image via Mojang Studios)

Minecraft recently added a lot of new paintings, but for many, the original paintings will always remain the classics. These pieces of art are a clever way of adding easter eggs. Mojang Studios took the opportunity and added a reference to the popular Nintendo game Donkey Kong released in 1981.

The painting shows the gameplay screen where Donkey Kong can be seen standing on top of the floors. Both the Mario and Minecraft franchises have been some of the best-selling games of all time, so this easter egg was a great nod from one great game to another.

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4) Terraria

Terraria game (Image via Steam/Terraria)

Terraria is a game that is often considered to be 2D Minecraft. The titles share many similar game mechanics, with Terraria also allowing players to create their bases, make tools and weapons, and even fight dangerous mobs and bosses.

While both the games have publicly shown respect to each other on many occasions, what many players do not know is that the mechanism for summoning the dangerous Wither is inspired by the summoning mechanism of Terraria.

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5) Counter-Strike

Counter-Strike easter egg in the game (Image via X/pricempire/Mojang Studios)

Counter-Strike has been a part of many people’s childhood just like Minecraft. The first-person shooter has many maps but a couple of these maps, especially Dust, have become fan favorites.

So Mojang Studios took the opportunity and used the game’s paintings to put not one but three easter eggs referencing Counter-Strike. The paintings “de_aztec,” “de_aztec 2” and “Target Bombed Successfully” are all images of the different maps from Valve's game. These paintings have been created by Kristoffer Zetterstrand who has made many other paintings in the game as well.