Mojang shuts down community-run Minecraft servers: Difference between revisions
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{{IncidentCargo|Company=Mojang|StartDate=2024|EndDate=|Status=Active|ProductLine=|Product=Minecraft Java Edition servers|ArticleType=Product|Type=EULA, Ownership, Third-party|Description=}} | {{IncidentCargo|Company=Mojang|StartDate=2024|EndDate=|Status=Active|ProductLine=|Product=Minecraft Java Edition servers|ArticleType=Product|Type=EULA, Ownership, Third-party|Description=}} | ||
For the past 5-8 years, [[Mojang]], the developers of the title [[Minecraft]], and a subsidiary of [[Microsoft]]'s [[Xbox Game Studios]] publishing brand, have enforced countless server shutdowns citing violations of the Minecraft End User License Agreement (EULA). However, said | For the past 5-8 years, [[Mojang]], the developers of the title [[Minecraft]], and a subsidiary of [[Microsoft]]'s [[Xbox Game Studios]] publishing brand, have enforced countless server shutdowns citing violations of the Minecraft End User License Agreement (EULA). However, said enforcement has been unfairly biased against operators of smaller Minecraft Java Edition servers, abusing vague and often inaccessible community guidelines to shut down these servers.<ref name=":02">{{Cite web |last=Brose |first=Kian |date=Dec 3, 2024 |title=Hold Mojang Accountable For Their Unlawful Behaviour |url=https://www.gofundme.com/f/hold-mojang-accountable-for-their-unlawful-behaviour |access-date=May 12, 2024 |website=GoFundMe |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20251113064608/https://www.gofundme.com/f/hold-mojang-accountable-for-their-unlawful-behaviour |archive-date=13 Nov 2025}}</ref><ref name=":12">{{Cite web |last=Brose |first=Kian |date=Dec 3, 2024 |title=Suing Minecraft Because They Broke The Law & Pissed Me Off |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C5RvoPQZQeM |access-date=May 12, 2024 |website=YouTube |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=C5RvoPQZQeM |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref name=":22">{{Cite web |last=Brose |first=Kian |title=Lawsuit Video Accompanying Document |url=https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l3fxs_pZBTdWu7q_iiRKwQdhkEKp8zkuw0O3KBVWC-I/edit?tab=t.0#heading=h.8vmqv8enui5u |access-date=May 12, 2025 |website=Google Docs |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260203004450/https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l3fxs_pZBTdWu7q_iiRKwQdhkEKp8zkuw0O3KBVWC-I/edit?tab=t.0 |archive-date=3 Feb 2026}}</ref> | ||
===Examples=== | ===Examples=== | ||
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===Server Blacklist - Circa 2016 (Version 1.9.3)<!--Unsure if I should include this one: https://web.archive.org/web/20251022084718/https://saicopvp.com/forums/threads/genuine-question-is-saico-getting-shutdown-eula.273955/-->=== | ===Server Blacklist - Circa 2016 (Version 1.9.3)<!--Unsure if I should include this one: https://web.archive.org/web/20251022084718/https://saicopvp.com/forums/threads/genuine-question-is-saico-getting-shutdown-eula.273955/-->=== | ||
When Minecraft version 1.9.3 pre-release 2 released in May 2016, the client had an encrypted "server blacklist"<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=u/ceruleanReverie |date=May 2, 2016 |title=Mojang's "server blacklist", what it is, and why it's a big deal |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/comments/4hh3ns/mojangs_server_blacklist_what_it_is_and_why_its_a/ |access-date=Feb 4, 2026 |website=[[Reddit]] - r/Minecraft}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Blocked server list |url=https://sessionserver.mojang.com/blockedservers |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=Mojang.com |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222110036/https://sessionserver.mojang.com/blockedservers |archive-date=22 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=15773 |date=Feb 24, 2016 |title=Mojang EULA Enforcement |url=https://www.spigotmc.org/threads/mojang-eula-enforcement.125792/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251022040914/https://www.spigotmc.org/threads/mojang-eula-enforcement.125792/ |archive-date=Oct 22, 2025 |access-date=Feb 4, 2026 |website=Spigot Forums}}</ref> where if the user attempted to access a server that was on this blacklist, they would only receive a "java.net.SocketException: Network is unreachable" error.<ref>{{Cite web |last=TuxCoding |first=Alex |last2=Flakey |first2=Foxie |date=2016-04-30 |title=Minecraft-Blocked-Servers/ReadMe.md |url=https://github.com/TuxCoding/Minecraft-Blocked-Servers/blob/main/ReadMe.md |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=GitHub |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250823130907/https://github.com/TuxCoding/Minecraft-Blocked-Servers/blob/main/ReadMe.md |archive-date=23 Aug 2025}}</ref> When this list was discovered shortly after the update, the blacklist covered 31 servers/domains.<ref name=":1" /> As of February 2026, Mojang's list includes [https://mojang-api-docs.gapple.pw/no-auth/blocked-servers cryptographic hashes] of 2595 server addresses,<ref name=":3" /> almost all of which have been decrypted by community members.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burk |first=Austin |last2=PureFallen |last3=Williams |first3=Royce |date=2022-08-23 |title=mojang-blocklist/data/identified.txt |url=https://github.com/sudofox/mojang-blocklist |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=GitHub |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260214131616/https://github.com/sudofox/mojang-blocklist |archive-date=14 Feb 2026}}</ref> <!--Would love to include this as a ref, but the domain has been usurped by a malicious actor, would give better insight into who was banned at the time: | When Minecraft version 1.9.3 pre-release 2 released in May 2016, the client had an encrypted "server blacklist"<ref name=":1">{{Cite web |last=u/ceruleanReverie |date=May 2, 2016 |title=Mojang's "server blacklist", what it is, and why it's a big deal |url=https://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/comments/4hh3ns/mojangs_server_blacklist_what_it_is_and_why_its_a/ |access-date=Feb 4, 2026 |website=[[Reddit]] - r/Minecraft |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20230606115650/https://old.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/comments/4hh3ns/mojangs_server_blacklist_what_it_is_and_why_its_a/ |archive-date=6 Jun 2023}}</ref><ref name=":3">{{Cite web |title=Blocked server list |url=https://sessionserver.mojang.com/blockedservers |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=Mojang.com |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260222110036/https://sessionserver.mojang.com/blockedservers |archive-date=22 Feb 2026}}</ref><ref name=":0">{{Cite web |last=15773 |date=Feb 24, 2016 |title=Mojang EULA Enforcement |url=https://www.spigotmc.org/threads/mojang-eula-enforcement.125792/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251022040914/https://www.spigotmc.org/threads/mojang-eula-enforcement.125792/ |archive-date=Oct 22, 2025 |access-date=Feb 4, 2026 |website=Spigot Forums}}</ref> where if the user attempted to access a server that was on this blacklist, they would only receive a "java.net.SocketException: Network is unreachable" error.<ref>{{Cite web |last=TuxCoding |first=Alex |last2=Flakey |first2=Foxie |date=2016-04-30 |title=Minecraft-Blocked-Servers/ReadMe.md |url=https://github.com/TuxCoding/Minecraft-Blocked-Servers/blob/main/ReadMe.md |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=GitHub |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20250823130907/https://github.com/TuxCoding/Minecraft-Blocked-Servers/blob/main/ReadMe.md |archive-date=23 Aug 2025}}</ref> When this list was discovered shortly after the update, the blacklist covered 31 servers/domains.<ref name=":1" /> As of February 2026, Mojang's list includes [https://mojang-api-docs.gapple.pw/no-auth/blocked-servers cryptographic hashes] of 2595 server addresses,<ref name=":3" /> almost all of which have been decrypted by community members.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Burk |first=Austin |last2=PureFallen |last3=Williams |first3=Royce |date=2022-08-23 |title=mojang-blocklist/data/identified.txt |url=https://github.com/sudofox/mojang-blocklist |access-date=2026-02-20 |website=GitHub |archive-url=http://web.archive.org/web/20260214131616/https://github.com/sudofox/mojang-blocklist |archive-date=14 Feb 2026}}</ref> <!--Would love to include this as a ref, but the domain has been usurped by a malicious actor, would give better insight into who was banned at the time: | ||
https://blocklist.tcpr.ca/-->While some of these servers were reasonably determined to be violating the EULA at the time, not all of them received fair punishment, especially as the company refused to transparently communicate with the overall community over these issues.{{Citation needed}} | https://blocklist.tcpr.ca/-->While some of these servers were reasonably determined to be violating the EULA at the time, not all of them received fair punishment, especially as the company refused to transparently communicate with the overall community over these issues.{{Citation needed}} | ||
Notably during this period, the servers known to be blacklisted were primarily ones who were selling cosmetics and "pay to win" content, which violated the EULA at the time, however this enforcement eventually became lenient enough to cause some to question the initial rulings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=TheMisterEpic |date=Sep 21, 2024 |title=Exposing Minecraft's ILLEGAL Server Gambling Operations... |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgrKo1mpeGo |access-date=Feb 4, 2026 |website=[[YouTube]] |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=vgrKo1mpeGo |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref> | Notably during this period, the servers known to be blacklisted were primarily ones who were selling cosmetics and "pay to win" content, which violated the EULA at the time, however this enforcement eventually became lenient enough to cause some to question the initial rulings.<ref>{{Cite web |last=TheMisterEpic |date=Sep 21, 2024 |title=Exposing Minecraft's ILLEGAL Server Gambling Operations... |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vgrKo1mpeGo |access-date=Feb 4, 2026 |website=[[YouTube]] |archive-url=https://preservetube.com/watch?v=vgrKo1mpeGo |archive-date=23 Feb 2026}}</ref> | ||
=== | ===Grand Theft Minecart shutdown (May 2023)=== | ||
During some period in 2023, Mojang updated their EULA to classify "guns and weapons" as "non-compliant features under our Adult Content requirement." There was no prior notification to the EULA change for server owners to capably comply in-time before enforcement could occur. | During some period in 2023, Mojang updated their EULA to classify "guns and weapons" as "non-compliant features under our Adult Content requirement." There was no prior notification to the EULA change for server owners to capably comply in-time before enforcement could occur. | ||