Microsoft is working on a major new Minecraft game for iOS and Android that takes the highly popular platform into the real world. After teasing the title earlier this month, the company has unveiled Minecraft Earth which is set to arrive in beta this summer. The new mobile game will bring a Pokémon Go-style AR experience to let players collaborate with others in real time and cover “the entire planet in Minecraft.”

Microsoft’s creator of the HoloLens and Kinect, Alex Kipman, shared with The Verge that he sees Minecraft Earth as the next generation of games.

There are currently 91 million active Minecraft players, so there’s a lot of potential if Microsoft creates a hit with this new free to play AR title. Clarifying the game a bit more, Minecraft Earth’s game director Torfi Olafsson said it will be “very familiar” to existing Minecraft players, but it is an adaptation.

Microsoft detailed some highlights of Minecraft Earth’s gameplay:

  • Go on Adventures! In “Minecraft Earth,” you’ll go out in the real world to find small clusters of blocks, chests or mobs called Tappables. As you walk, you will also find Adventures, which are small slices of Minecraft worlds that you play in life-size AR – your sidewalk becomes a mine where there may be diamonds under your feet, or your local park may have Minecraft trees where skeletons lurk, ready for a skirmish! Players will collect resources, fight mobs, and gain experience points to progress in their career.
  • Collect, explore and survive! “Minecraft Earth” features many of the Vanilla Minecraft mobs that our players know and love, along with new ones we can’t wait to reveal (later). Over time, players will get the chance to discover and collect unique variants and use them to populate builds, as well as gather resources and take on nearby challenges.
  • Experience your creations in front of you or ALL AROUND YOU! Players can build their own permanent creations in “Minecraft Earth” through Build Plates – the best implementation of the creative spirit of the Vanilla game. Build in small, tabletop-sized environments where you can interact from above, or place your Build Plates on the ground to see your creations outside in life-size scale.
  • Collaborative multiplayer! Optimized for social multiplayer experiences, anyone with an AR-capable smartphone and “Minecraft Earth” installed will be able to join your session quickly and have fun together.
  • Fancy-tech! “Minecraft Earth” blends state-of-the-art Microsoft technology like Azure Spatial Anchors tracking and PlayFab integration to bring the game to life for a sophisticated AR gaming experience.

The Verge got some early hands-on time with Minecraft Earth and found it to be a little buggy, but “very impressive.”

The game focuses on having players explore the real world to gather resources to be able to start building. While players won’t have to battle to collect resources, you will be able to “steal” from others when building.

Minecraft’s creative director, Saxs Persson, shared more about the in-game creative process:

For more details about the upcoming game, check out the video below, the full article from The Verge, and the Minecraft Earth’s dedicated website.