Why was Minecraft written in Java instead of C++?

Minecraft took the world by storm, becoming one of the most beloved and memorable games worldwide. However, like any gaming title, it began with a collection of code and in-game assets. As players from the game's early days would know, the beloved sandbox title was introduced using the Java programming language before it branched out in later years.

But why exactly was Java utilized for Minecraft in the first place? What were its advantages? The answer isn't so simple, as there are many pros and cons when comparing Java to other programming languages.

Be that as it may, a look into the game's history can help reveal exactly why Minecraft began with Java before its foray into other options.

---

Examining why Minecraft was originally coded in Java

Minecraft's earliest test footage emerged in 2009 as a side project of Markus "Notch" Persson, who had been working for the mobile developer King. However, Notch had several game prototypes he worked on in his spare time, including what would eventually become the world's most popular sandbox title.

But this doesn't answer why Java was used for the game's code. There are several answers and theories, but according to Notch himself, Java had a few things going for it in the late aughts that he found particularly appealing. This included:

• Java being a simpler programming language to learn.
• Java being utilized across various platforms and hardware, making it incredibly accessible.
• A large community of developers and programmers utilized Java in their own work, providing a support structure for Notch to ask questions and learn from.
• Java possessed internal memory management mechanisms that made resource management easier for the development process. "Garbage" code and data were easier to remove, resulting in fewer bugs than more complex programming languages.

Compared to programming languages like C++, which sees much more use, Java is an excellent way to break into coding and programming thanks to its shallower learning curve. This was likely the case for Notch, as well as Mojang's early development teams, as the game evolved through its Alpha, InDev, and Beta stages.

Obviously, this changed largely when Minecraft's early success caught the eye of Microsoft, resulting in Mojang and the game's sale to the corporate giant. With additional funding and labor resources, Mojang could push past the bounds of Java, which is exactly what Pocket Edition and later Bedrock Edition signified.

Both the original version of Minecraft: Pocket Edition and Bedrock Edition were written in, you guessed it, C++, allowing for implementations and features that Java couldn't always achieve. This is part of why many aspects of Bedrock Edition aren't perfectly mirrored in Java, as the two editions of the game exist within separate coding languages.

Minecraft's long history has been filled with twists and turns, but the earliest days of the game remain some of the most intriguing, especially for those who may not have been aware of it before it became the hit it is today.

Who knows? Maybe the world's beloved block-building and survival game will eventually translate into more programming languages over time.