What was the first Minecraft cape?

The Classic Mojang cape, issued to employees in December 2010.

Why did MINECON capes stop?

The convention moved to a livestreamed format after 2016, so there was no in-person attendance to reward.

Which cape do the most players have?

The Migrator cape, which went to every Java account that migrated to a Microsoft login.

A history of Minecraft capesfifteen years

Capes started as a way to mark out the people who made the game. They became the clearest record of who was present for what, and when.

2010 to 2011: staff only

The Classic Mojang cape arrived in December 2010 for employees. Within weeks there were Christmas and New Year capes shown to everyone temporarily, and then the first personal awards, including the cape given to the millionth customer in January 2011.

The pattern was set early. Capes marked a relationship with the game or its makers, not an achievement inside it.

2011 to 2016: the MINECON era

The MINECON 2011 cape changed what a cape meant. For the first time a cape was tied to a specific place and date: Las Vegas, the day Minecraft 1.0 shipped.

Four more followed in Paris, Orlando, London and Anaheim, growing from 4,500 attendees to 12,000. Alongside them came the contributor capes, for translators, Mojira moderators, Realms map makers and competition winners in Scrolls and Cobalt.

After Anaheim in 2016 the event moved online and the run ended. No cape since has required walking through a door at a MINECON.

2017 to 2021: the quiet years and the migration

Very little was issued for several years. The turtle cape in 2018 and the birthday cape in 2021 were one off awards.

Then came the Migrator cape in 2021, handed to every Java player who moved their Mojang account to a Microsoft login. It is the most widely held special cape in the game and the clearest example of a cape marking an administrative moment rather than an event.

2022 to today: the promotional era

From the Vanilla cape in 2022 onward the pace picked up sharply: anniversary capes, social campaign capes, event server capes, championship capes and venue capes.

They are easier to get, which also makes them less interesting to collectors. The capes that hold their standing are still the ones with a hard cap and a closed door behind them.

Questions people ask

What was the first Minecraft cape?: The Classic Mojang cape, issued to employees in December 2010.
Why did MINECON capes stop?: The convention moved to a livestreamed format after 2016, so there was no in-person attendance to reward.
Which cape do the most players have?: The Migrator cape, which went to every Java account that migrated to a Microsoft login.

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