Minecraft's charming End Poem can now be used by anyone for free. Millions of players have experienced the nearly 10-minute-long official ending of Minecraft, and although fans were initially conflicted by its quirky content, it has become one of the most widely loved aspects of Mojang's esteemed sandbox title. Defeating the game's menacing Ender Dragon presents the player with a lengthy dialogue between two nameless entities who discuss the nature of the universe and directly address the player, who is reading their thoughts.
While players are currently enjoying the new Avatar Legends Minecraft DLC, the community has just received some surprising news. End Poem author Julian Gough has dedicated the writing to the public domain (via Nintendo Life). Gough announced the news in a 10,000-word anecdote in which he shares his unfavorable experiences with Mojang and with his former friend, creator of Minecraft Markus Persson. His relationship with the company declined due to struggles in negotiating compensation for his work, culminating in a contract that he found unsatisfactory and refused to sign. While this refusal prevented him from receiving a share of Minecraft's profits, it also let him retain the rights to the poem.
Mojang Never Owned The Rights To Minecraft's End Poem
Many fans use Minecraft as an artistic design outlet, and now they are all free to use one of the most artistic aspects freely in their non-Minecraft endeavors. Minecraft players have repeatedly paid homage to the End Poem, through everything from tattoos to graduation caps to fan-made merchandise containing quotes such as "and the universe said I love you because you are love." Julian Gough's quirky poem directly addressing the player has been included on his website alongside the Creative Commons license, allowing everyone (including Mojang) to use the End Poem in their projects, even for commercial use.
Julian Gough decided to liberate himself and the End Poem after conflicts with Minecraft's creators and Microsoft, as well as his own hardships, and many Minecraft fans have been supportive. The Minecraft community has always been vital to Mojang's title, letting their voices be heard in things like the controversial Minecraft Mob Vote, which some feel is damaging the game. The fans have also furnished the title with arguably its biggest claim to fame; namely its broad array of breathtaking builds and art pieces. Even though Gough's decision and extensive story highlight the negative experiences he had with the beloved sandbox's other creators, it's heartwarming to see such a positive response from the fans themselves.
The End Poem is arguably one of the most iconic parts of Minecraft, and now anyone can include any part of it in any project they want, and can even profit from said projects. While Julian Gough may not receive a fair amount of credit from Microsoft or Mojang, the End Poem will forever be preserved and lovingly remembered in both Minecraft and whatever new content it may be featured in. Although many content creators stick to Minecraft mods that should inspire future updates, fans can now extend their talents and love of Minecraft to their own commercial art.
Source: Julian Gough (via NintendoLife), Karatine/YouTube