Minecraft devs admit that, if the Creeper didn't already exist, they probably wouldn't add it

Minecraft is scarcely the same game as what broke ground in 2009, and how could it be after over 15 years of constant updates and expansions? The way Minecraft is updated has changed a lot over time, too, and the latest behind-the-scenes video from Mojang Studios discusses exactly that.

The new video stars Jens Bergensten, Chief Creative Officer at Mojang, and Cory Scheviak, a Creative Lead. It's a short video with plenty of jokes and a lot of lessons about Mojang's current design philosophy for Minecraft, with new features balancing risk and reward.

When it comes to older features that don't fit the bill, Bergensten brought up the legendary Creeper, Minecraft's most explosive hostile mob. According to the Mojang veteran, the team likely wouldn't add the Creeper to Minecraft today — and I completely understand why.

When bad things happen, you should only have yourself to blame

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I won't break down the entire video (it's on the shorter side and it's an enjoyable watch), but I can summarize. Minecraft is always in the process of evolving, and Mojang Studios carefully considers every new feature, including how players will use it, how it may affect the game long term, and how it interacts with other parts of the game.

When it comes to destruction and challenge, it's all about giving players a way to opt-in. "Bad things happen, but they're technically the player's fault," Bergensten said earlier in the video. Basically, Mojang wants challenge to be sought after in Minecraft — if you encounter trouble beyond your means, it's either because you actively chose not to avoid it or you failed to properly prepare yourself for it.

You choose to enter the End and challenge the Ender Dragon. You choose to summon the powerful Wither. You choose to begin Pillager Raids or seek out challenging Trial Chambers. You can also protect your homes from lightning strikes with the lightning rod, create Iron Golems to ward against hostile mobs, equip yourself with armor and powerful enchantments, and a million other ways to keep yourself safe.

Sometimes, "emergent changes," or unexpected interactions with new features, break this philosophy. The Enderman used to be able to pick up any block, which resulted in player builds and machines being destroyed. Iron Golems used to attack Creepers, which resulted in unnecessary and unpreventable destruction. Mojang made changes to these features, but what about the Creeper itself?

"If you would follow the rules that we have today," Bergensten said in the video, "we would probably not add the Creeper." The Creeper may be Minecraft's most iconic mob, but the community has a love-hate relationship with this silent bomber, which has annihilated countless player builds over the years.

"It would actually be so controversial to have a monster that would show up and just destroy what you've built," Bergensten continued, and I wholeheartedly agree. The Creeper is inseparable from Minecraft now, but if it was a new feature being added in 2025 there would be mass uproar from the community.

It's honestly not surprising to hear the Minecraft team take this stance. Minecraft is designed with a lot of different kinds of players in mind, and indiscriminate destruction would only be "fun" for the players that already actively seek out challenges.

That doesn't mean the Creeper is going anywhere, though, or that it's even changing — it's just indicative of how Mojang has to be smarter and more cautious when updating what has become the best-selling video game of all time, because players of all shapes, sizes, ages, skill levels, and play styles enjoy it.

If you want to hear more from Jens Bergensten, I actually interviewed him about 'A Minecraft Movie.' Speaking of, Mojang just teased the second Minecraft movie and gave a release date, too.

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