Tourism New Zealand has partnered with Warner Bros. Pictures and Mojang Studios, the owner of Minecraft, to develop gamified New Zealand landscapes and travel experiences to attract visitors.
Tourism New Zealand, Warner Bros. and Mojang Studios have created a world-first destination downloadable content (DLC) for Minecraft players, to celebrate the upcoming debut of ‘A Minecraft Movie’.
The Aotearoa New Zealand DLC enables gamers to ‘play’ New Zealand as a destination in the game.
Prospective visitors can explore a variety of real-world activities in the Minecraft Aotearoa New Zealand DLC, including paddling a waka (canoe) in Abel Tasman, visiting glowworm caves in Waitomo, or stargazing in Tekapo.
The virtual quest can be booked as a real-life dream trip to New Zealand on Tourism New Zealand’s official ‘100% Pure Minecraft’ itinerary.
Six iconic New Zealand locations feature in the game, including Waitomo Caves (Waikato), Rotorua (Bay of Plenty), Kāpiti Island (Wellington), Abel Tasman (Nelson/Tasman), Tekapō (Mackenzie) and Doubtful Sound (Fiordland).
The adventure activities within the game reflect Aotearoa’s Māori culture, customs and natural landscapes.
Minecraft players can download and play the Aotearoa New Zealand DLC on Xbox, PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch, Android and IOS mobile devices for free from the Minecraft Marketplace.