Ever wondered what’s new in the world of Minecraft? Quite a lot, it turns out. Speaking over the weekend as part of fan convention Minecraft Live 2020, developer Mojang announced a gigantic Caves & Cliffs update for the iconic craft-‘em-up, which is set to release next summer. This is an absolutely gigantic expansion, hence the hefty production schedule.

As the name suggests, you can expect an enormous overhaul to the caves in the game. Copper ore is a brand-new resource that you’ll be able to mine, and you’ll be able to craft it into new items, such as a lightning rod block. You’ll also be able to fashion telescopes out of crystal geodes, although don’t expect to find many of them lying around.

Perhaps crucially, the caves will be much more interesting to explore, with waterfalls for you to navigate and a full archaeology system that’s yet to be expanded upon. Meanwhile, above ground, cliff faces are getting a full redesign so that they better resemble mountains – and upon them, you’ll find goats milling about.

[source youtube.com]