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Marc Watson

@marc-irl.bsky.social
2.9K followers 118 following 1.3K posts

Product Owner on Minecraft Dungeons II, at Mojang since 2012. MtG posts at @marc-mtg.bsky.social Team Mojang starter pack: go.bsky.app/HeHWmUN More about me: linktr.ee/marcwatson

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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 7h
I think that’s likely, but didn’t want to include “language that doesn’t say anything” and “using em dashes” as super clear indicators of something not written by us. The first *could* be a rush job, the second is genuinely used by some people. There are other minor signs too but not ironclad.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 8h
Kind of funny that they ended up sending one of these to my work email. I'm sure that none of this was manual, but it's still amusing to imagine someone thinking "the person who works on this feature in Dungeons II might fall for this".
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 8h
That last one is easy to miss. Promos are done for a reason, to drive people to action. Maybe you're building goodwill, but that is still engagement, retention, or reactivation of players, which translates to $, which lets you make more game. Here the connection is just unclear/absent.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 8h
Obvious scam, don't give away your Minecraft account. Signs: -Email address not from one of our domains -Overly detailed texture -Inconsistent language (Minecon Live vs Minecon in-person, Special Cape is different) -Offered to players from up to 15 years ago without obvious marketing benefit
A block of text trying to convince players that they're going to get a free cape from having been to a Minecon
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 12h
Referencing things that we didn’t create internally in our games will always be less desirable than referencing things that we did create. I would set expectations low there.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 13h
And though the publishing folks try to keep things in line, some things in the books might contradict games. For example, the blue blub is absolutely not soul corrupted (soul engorged was one of the WIP names for this) but the wiki states that it is.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 13h
So I think the crossovers that you’re most likely to find are thematic: a mob hopping between games (this has happened numerous times now) or something like the D2 Minecart stations being reminiscent of trial chamber designs.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 13h
Referencing the books would require people working on the games to know about them. If you look at other franchises, like Halo, they have a ton of books that have stories central to canon (I think that’s also a weakness fwiw). But even I, Minecraft nerd at the office, have only read the D1 book.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 13h
There’s also the question of rights. I don’t know if I could add a Jesse skin to Dungeons. I could ask our legal team, but I have so many other ideas that one that involves asking for permission and referencing something from a decade ago sounds less appealing than just making cool new things.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 13h
In my mind, Story Mode tells a very specific story that isn’t as immediately compatible with some of the other stories we tell. It’s very modern (Endercon? Computers?) and breaks vanilla Minecraft plausibility (like command blocks).
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 13h
Like what?
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 11/10/2026
Sharing details like this makes it harder for us to make things later. People would refer back to this and say it was a retcon or something, even if it was just an opinion.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
We left this somewhat open with Dungeons, it didn’t end up being relevant for the mechanics or story to fully define their relations. For now, all we know is that they’re a mob family, like the sculkers, or the enderlings from Dungeons 1.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 10/10/2026
I work on Minecraft dungeons, so no idea
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
He must learn about our lord and savior Raistlin
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Stuff you buy on steam only works on steam, same with all games
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
Does anyone have experience with good mini projectors? I have a big white wall in my bedroom and thought it’d be fun to occasionally put on a movie, but don’t want to install anything. It’d also be neat to use it outside occasionally.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 09/10/2026
It’s on their live album too, so of course to this day, that alternate line is wedged firmly in my brain
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 08/10/2026
I keep meaning to play Outlaws. I even own it. Not sure what’s going on there, maybe too many games hit at once around that time.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Yeah I don’t really need 40 years of Williams-like fanfares and such, it feels like they’re afraid to experiment. But Jedi Survivor had some great tracks! And Andor, of course. Still bopping to Niamos.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 07/10/2026
Man I’m glad you’re okay though!
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
Shoot, missed the preorder window! Still sounds like it’s worth picking up now. I have fond memories of podracing as a kid and the reviews look good!
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I was feeling really let down by a sort of less engaging and more walled-off spider-man game, but I’ve started to run into some sequences more like what I wanted out of Control now. Currently chasing a cat. Allegedly.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
All I know is that Minecraft has a streamer-safe playlist, but I don’t know what it takes to be included on it.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
She did a lot of the early concepts! I don’t know what all we’re sharing or not, maybe someday when we’re less busy we’ll do a digital art book with concepts.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I don't have any plans for this. While it would be neat, it's work to set up the items, adjust art style, and then test all of the cross-game entitlements. There's no benefit for the game team but it would have diverted some time we could have spent on new Dungeons II features.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
If you want to know more about the music of Dungeons II, and how our audio director found the musical identity for a new dimension, check out this new article! www.minecraft.net/en-us/articl...
minecraft.net
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I’m as skeptical as the next person but I would be flabbergasted if this was their only data source. I think they were pointing to it as a visual example. They do tons of surveys on how people approach their product. I bet the stats bear out that the majority don’t care about those cards.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 06/10/2026
I am not aware of this being an inspiration. I wouldn’t be surprised to find out it was simply convergent design. In block game, eventually you make block mob with legs.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 05/10/2026
Anything you have fun with and can play while engaging somewhat with the audience is a good game to stream. The thing that can often stop new streamers is when it feels like work, so just make it as fun for you as possible.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I would read the whole thread for the full story! Not everyone working on the game knows what all I do, so the internet certainly would be missing some things 😉
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I suspect there’s some overlap there. And sure! I love reasonable questions from level-headed adults. It’s a refreshing change of pace from the barrage of frantic begging and actual harassment. 😂
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
So yeah, I’ve worked on things like making sure new to franchise sift mobs were localized well in case any crossed over to core Minecraft. Or helped create the list of words that crossplay names can use, etc. Because of that, the game is fun for me because I’m not burned on on developing it.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I started the project as a mobs and items producer. I ended it as the “everything PO (but especially achievements and cosmetics and coordinating teams beyond the dev team)”. I no longer had a team, which is an oddity. It let me take fun things but also tackle hard things that fell between teams.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
The way we have it set up, a producer makes sure work items are in, the team is working toward prioritized goals, etc. Product owners often look at the overall how and why of a thing and ensure that features are designed and delivered for players and the overall experience. Very oversimplified.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I can claim more of the chicken being my idea than the blub, so I’m using that! 😁 And yes, I’m a weird PO on the project. Kind of our jack of all trades. I’ve touched so many things that the list is kind of wild. But it also means I’ve missed a lot hands on with the game.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
After a few days off to disconnect, I dove into the retail version of Dungeons II for the first time. 7 hours in, level 37, item power 54, 12/32 achievements. I'm having fun! It's neat being surprised, some of the locations or items I swear I haven't seen before.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
When we have something to share, it won’t be from me. We have proper channels for this.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 04/10/2026
I love this! Glad that you’re enjoying the game.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
bsky.app/profile/marc...
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
As with all games, I would recommend not looking too hard at filenames and dev names. Ideas change or are abandoned over the course of multiple year projects. Only player-facing names are “correct” because to scramble the game’s insides by updating all references could be a disaster for a launch.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
The post above you is a good example of how to engage. Your post conveys nothing other than further dunking on the team.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
No, not a part of the sifter grouping
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Oooh, nice, I loved Flow!
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
But what if I rule 0 the Baldur’s Gate 3 mega dungeon instead??
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Reading posts after launching a game 😂
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
Sorry about the article, it wasn’t supposed to be a tease. Miscommunication between making the game and writing about it. Launch was SO busy that when I proofread, my corrections were focused on the technical accuracy of the crossover cape details so we didn’t generate a million support tickets.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 03/10/2026
I wanted custom skins, but it was a combination of things that made it not possible. Mostly our facial animations system, which makes custom skins look janky in cutscenes, as well as just general feature prioritization. A lot of ideas get cut in favor of working on the core and shipping.
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 02/10/2026
That's really nice to hear <3
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Marc Watson @marc-irl.bsky.social · 01/10/2026
Originally based loosely on the Sift sky
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