Welcome to this month’s special edition of High Scores Leaderboard Insights, where we bring you expert perspectives from industry leaders shaping the future of gaming marketing.
This time, we’re featuring Nathan Lindberg, Head of US Brand Partnerships at Overwolf, as he dives into the ultimate blueprint for brands and advertisers interested in harnessing the Minecraft hype.
By Nathan Lindberg.
In 2023, Barbie wasn’t just a box-office hit, it was a full-blown marketing phenomenon. From custom Crocs to Airbnb dreamhouses, brands big and small seized the moment and rode the pink wave to cultural relevance and commercial wins.
Now, it’s Minecraft’s turn.
With over 300 million copies sold, 204 million monthly active users, and a major motion picture dropping April 4, 2025, Minecraft is about to dominate screens, headlines, and conversations all over again. And just like with Barbie, the brands that move now will be the ones that win later.
At Overwolf, we power some of the most influential platforms for Minecraft players today. From CurseForge (the world’s largest Minecraft modding platform engaging over 4.4 million players monthly) to Lunar Client (the leading Minecraft Client partnered with 100s of the world‘s biggest Minecraft content creators to support millions of players with mods, settings and cosmetics), we operate an integral part of the Minecraft ecosystem with a unique understanding of the game, the audience and how brands can authentically place themselves in front of players.
So in this special edition of Leaderboard Insights, we’ll break down:
- Why Minecraft is the biggest brand playground in gaming
- Four standout brand campaigns that nailed community-first integrations in Minecraft
- How brands can activate campaigns right now to become part of the Minecraft conversation (with no heavy lifting required)
Let’s build.
First up, why does Minecraft matter right now?
If you're an advertiser looking to align with scale, creativity, and cultural relevance, Minecraft belongs at the top of your media strategy. Here’s why:
1. It’s a Number #1 Global Gaming Titan
Minecraft is the #1 best-selling game of all time, with over 300 million copies sold (putting it well ahead of Grand Theft Auto V, Call of Duty and Tetris). It hosts 204 Million monthly active users globally with a massive multi-platform footprint across PC, mobile, and console. Not only that, the game generated $43M in mobile revenue in H1 2024 alone, demonstrating the audience’s proclivity to spend.
2. Minecraft’s Social Reach is Astronomical
Minecraft generated 1 trillion+ views on YouTube as of 2021 (the first game ever to hit that milestone). It is ranked in the Top 5 most-watched games on YouTube and Twitch globally in 2023–2024, and content dominates Gen Z platforms like TikTok with billions of views tied to hashtags like #minecraftbuilds, #minecraftmods, and #minecraftmemes.
Our own CurseForge social channels boast 470K+ TikTok followers, 210K+ Instagram followers and 77K+ X Followers alone, generating millions of views and engagements every month.
3. Mainstream Cultural Relevancy
Contrary to popular belief, Minecraft has multi-generational appeal, with an audience that spans Gen Alpha, Gen Z, and Millennials — including both players and parents. In addition, its evergreen popularity combined with cultural flashpoints like the upcoming Minecraft Movie and a Minecraft theme park makes it the ultimate mainstream digital playground for brands looking to engage gamers at scale.
This is not a fading trend or niche fandom — this is an ecosystem where audiences show up daily, stay longer, and actively shape the experience. And right now, attention around Minecraft is only increasing.
Four best-in-class brand campaigns in Minecraft to inspire you
As the world gears up for the Minecraft Movie launch, some brands aren’t waiting for the credits to roll — they’re already deep in the action, embedding themselves into Minecraft’s open, creator-first world. Below are four of our favourite examples that managed to fuse physical + digital experiences in a way that engages players globally, whilst staying true to their own brand identities.
🍟 1. McDonald’s x Minecraft Movie Meal
The Campaign:
Timed with the Minecraft Movie release, McDonald’s has rolled out a limited-time “Minecraft Movie Meal” — one of its biggest global brand activations in recent history.
Customers can choose from themed meals that include the “Nether Flame” Sauce, collectible packaging, and exclusive in-game content tied to codes printed inside.
In addition, each meal comes with one of six collectible toys, blending Minecraft characters with iconic McDonald’s mascots — Grimace, Hamburglar, etc., reimagined in blocky Minecraft style.
Why It’s Great:
It’s pretty simple, but when you’re as iconic as McDonald's that is all you need. Blending the physical retail element of limited-edition twists to their menu and collectible toys with exclusive in-game digital content offers a brilliant way to engage fans in-and-out of game.
Key Learning:
You can bridge physical retail and digital engagement through thoughtful packaging, QR codes, or in-game unlocks. For brands in fast food, CPG, or hardware, this is your roadmap - turn products into portals to play.
🥔 2. GROWN IN IDAHO® x Minecraft Movie Sweepstakes
The Campaign:
GROWN IN IDAHO® is leaning into the unlikely — but totally perfect — crossover between crispy fries and pixelated adventures. With A Minecraft Movie partly set in Idaho, the brand is celebrating its homegrown roots and piggybacking on the film’s context. Every purchase of a GROWN IN IDAHO® product becomes an entry to win a VIP trip to Hollywood and Warner Bros. Studios — a clever prize that appeals to both parents and kids.
Why It’s Great:
This one plays the context card perfectly. GROWN IN IDAHO® isn’t forcing the connection — it’s embracing the fact that Minecraft’s real-world tie-in to Idaho is a goldmine. By focusing on family engagement and movie excitement, they’ve built a promotional mechanic that’s easy to enter and dream-worthy to win.
Key Learning:
If the movie has a real-world connection to your brand or region, lean in hard. Contextual relevance feels authentic — and if you pair it with a big, aspirational prize, you can turn a simple purchase into a family adventure.
👟 3. adidas x Minecraft Movie Capsule Collection
The Campaign:
adidas continues its gaming push — following Fortnite drops and an Enderman-inspired Handball Spezial — with a new Minecraft capsule launching April 1st. The collection spans footwear and apparel for all ages with designs inspired by the film’s most striking and memorable costumes, such as one protagonist’s bold 80s-inspired leather jacket, reimagined with elements from the adidas `80s archive.
Why It’s Great:
This is adidas doing what it does best: showing up where culture is already happening. By translating Minecraft’s iconic blocky aesthetic into bold, wearable fashion — and anchoring it in their retro design roots — they’ve made the brand feel native to the world of the game.
Key Learning:
The 80s jacket remix is a highlight. You don’t have to simply mimic the game — you can meet it in your own language. adidas found a perfect contextual tie-in from one protagonist’s bold 80s-inspired leather jacket, reimagined with elements from the adidas `80s archive. Great collaborations start with knowing your brand, then finding the overlap. Authenticity beats imitation every time.
💄 NYX x Minecraft – A Beauty Collab with Untapped Potential
The Campaign:
NYX Professional Makeup dropped a Minecraft-inspired makeup collection, bringing bold pixel aesthetics into real-world palettes and glosses. It visually nailed the vibe but left one fascinating opportunity on the table.
The Missed Play:
Among the millions of mods hosted on CurseForge, there’s a popular mod actually called Nyx — a lunar-themed expansion mod with well over 500K downloads. Had NYX partnered with the mod’s creator, they could’ve turned this into a playful “Easter egg” campaign, perhaps a surprise in-game NYX pop-up tied to the original mod’s celestial branding.
It’s reminiscent of last year’s CeraVe with Michael Cera...Ve campaign — a tongue-in-cheek wink to the audience that says, “we see you.”
Key Learning:
Minecraft modding is cultural capital. Look for organic overlaps in the ecosystem. If your brand name, theme, or aesthetic already lives in a mod, that’s a door to collaboration that feels native, not intrusive. For beauty, fashion, hardware, automotive and lifestyle brands, that’s a chance to unlock authenticity at scale.
So how brands can activate campaigns right now to become part of the Minecraft conversation (with no heavy lifting required)
Big brand collaborations are great — but they take time. If you're planning a Minecraft mod, custom merch, or product integration, you’re likely looking at months of lead time (check out our own P&G/DAWN x Minecraft activation case study here for even more inspo).
The good news is that if you want to be part of the Minecraft moment right now without heavy-lifting, you can. With Overwolf Ads, you can reach millions of monthly Minecraft players while they’re playing through simple IAB standard creatives. We serve ads across the largest modding platforms in the Minecraft ecosystem — including CurseForge (home to over 75 billion Minecraft mod downloads), Lunar Client and more. Beyond that, Overwolf Ads runs across hundreds of adjacent desktop apps that Minecraft players use every time they load the game.
We can take your existing IAB standard creatives (static, video and beyond) and make them feel native, contextual, and relevant — no dev cycles required. Whether you’re in food, fashion, tech, or toys — this is the fastest way to join the Minecraft conversation in a way that feels authentic right now.
And why us? Just check out some examples of our team going viral effortlessly in the Minecraft world in just the last few weeks (see here & here & here & here etc). It may seem like a different language, and well, that’s because it is. Our team lives and breathes Minecraft day-in, day-out, and can work directly with you to strategise how your brand personality can fit into the conversation naturally to resonate with millions of fans.
If you’re interested in hearing more, don’t hesitate to reach out to our sales team here.
Overwolf Ads is a world-leading ad tech platform empowering brands and advertisers to reach over 100M+ monthly gamers across hundreds of the world's biggest titles and premium gaming websites. We’re trusted by global brands and agencies such as P&G, Dr Pepper, AMD, Monster Energy, Nissan, KFC, WPP and more.