Minecraft Pocket Edition's Name Pays Homage to Nintendo's Game Boy Pocket

Minecraft's original name on smartphones, "Pocket Edition," pays tribute to Nintendo's Game Boy Pocket, revealing unexpected gaming connections. Discover the story behind this nostalgic title.

Minecraft has achieved success across multiple platforms, including mobile devices. Over the years, the game has evolved and has lost its original name on smartphones, which was "Pocket Edition." But why was it named this way instead of something simpler like "Mobile Edition"? The name is a nod to a Nintendo console. Daniel Kaplan, a founding member of Mojang and current CEO of Keepsake Games, explained on Twitter, "It's a bit sad to see that the name 'Minecraft: Pocket Edition' has completely disappeared today, but it's understandable. Why was Minecraft called Pocket Edition and not Mobile Edition on phones? Because I'm a Nintendo nerd, and it was a reference to the Game Boy Pocket."

The Game Boy Pocket might sound unfamiliar to some, but it is a smaller version of Nintendo's classic Game Boy. It featured the same processor but was slightly smaller and much lighter—indeed, even lighter than the Game Boy Color, weighing in at 125 grams compared to 138 grams. It was largely identical to the base model, except that it had a shorter battery life since it accommodated only two batteries instead of four. However, the screen remained the same (technically just a millimeter larger).

Currently, what was once known as Minecraft Pocket Edition is now called "Bedrock Edition," as there are two versions of the game: Java Edition (which, unsurprisingly, is built on Java) and Bedrock Edition (which uses C++). Because the code for the two versions is different, this nomenclature helps to clarify matters.

It's also worth noting that the term "Pocket" isn't exclusive to Minecraft Pocket Edition; various games, such as GCC Pokémon Pocket, also utilize this naming convention.