Minecraft has become an unexpected part of the high-profile but failed negotiations between Netflix and Xbox. According to Puck News, Netflix offered Microsoft $500 million for seven-year exclusive rights to film and TV adaptations of Xbox games, but talks fell apart when Xbox chief Asha Sharma demanded $800 million in return. Despite the collapse of that deal, the animated Minecraft series Netflix is making together with Mojang Studios is, according to its creators, still in production.

What exactly Netflix offered

The offer was reportedly made by Bela Bajaria, Netflix's longtime head of content, before she left the company in mid-October 2026. The proposal covered exclusivity on adaptations of Xbox's biggest franchises for seven years, which would have let the streaming platform lock in access to well-known titles without competing with other studios for the rights.

Xbox answered with a demand for $800 million, considering Netflix's proposal too low for the value of its IP portfolio. After Bajaria's departure and pushback from part of Netflix's leadership, including chief financial officer Spence Neumann, who found the deal too expensive, the offer was pulled from the negotiating table.

Minecraft and Diablo are still on the schedule

In an official comment to Puck News, an Xbox spokesperson confirmed that the company is seeing "record interest in our IP" and said it was pleased with the productions underway, naming "our animated Minecraft and Diablo series, along with other adaptations." That means the collapse of the broader licensing deal doesn't affect projects that are already in progress under earlier, separate contracts.

Instead of one big exclusive deal, Xbox is now said to be negotiating smaller contracts with a larger number of partners, which gives it more flexibility but also means more work for every individual adaptation.

Where the Minecraft series stands

The animated Minecraft series, being developed by Netflix, Mojang Studios, WildBrain and Flying Bark Productions, has worried fans for months because of the lack of new promotional material. The project didn't even show up at the Annecy animation festival in 2026, which fueled speculation that work had quietly been put on hold.

Mojang Studios creative director Jens Bergensten put those fears to rest, writing on Bluesky: "Yes, we're still working on it!" The series is a half-hour, fully original action-comedy story created by Kevin Adams, Joe Ksander and A.C. Bradley, with a brand-new cast of characters meant to show the world of Minecraft in a new light rather than retell the game's plot.

When we'll see the first episodes

Even with confirmation that production is ongoing, Netflix hasn't given an official release date. Industry watchers estimate the series could arrive on the platform in 2027 at the earliest, and more realistically in 2028, especially since the lack of any visuals at the end of 2026 suggests production is still at an early stage of post-production or animation.

For Polish fans following the franchise alongside the game, whether on Java Edition or Bedrock Edition, this means the on-screen expansion of the Minecraft world will take a while longer, though the risk of the project being scrapped entirely has been pushed aside for now. Until then, news about the franchise is still driven mostly by the game itself, including fresh versions and updates that keep arriving on a regular yearly cycle.

Sources