Gaming News July 23

Minecraft & Roblox News: A July 2025 Round‑up Sources Included

The first half of 2025 has been busy for two of the world’s most popular games. Minecraft is preparing for another major “Game Drop,” while Roblox is hosting an enormous in‑platform event and rolling out features that could reshape its creator economy. Here is a look at the latest updates and why they matter.

### Minecraft: Copper Tools, Vibrant Visuals and a Flying Mount

* Copper becomes a full equipment tier. Mojang’s July preview introduces the copper golem and copper chests. Players can summon a golem by placing a carved pumpkin on a copper block; the golem comes with a chest that acts as both storage and an automatic sorter. Copper tools and armor sit between stone and iron in durability and mining speed, giving new players an intermediate tierhttps://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/a-new-friend-with-a-familiar-patina#:~:text=The%20copper%20golem%20is%20a,together%20with%20a%20copper%20chest. This change could alter early game progression since copper is easier to find than ironhttps://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/a-new-friend-with-a-familiar-patina#:~:text=Copper%20is%20officially%20becoming%20an,game%20material%2C%20which%20means%20I.

* The Vibrant Visuals update. In late June Mojang rolled out a cosmetic update called Vibrant Visuals for Bedrock Edition, adding reflective water, volumetric lighting and improved textures. The Overworld now has infinite clouds and enhanced reflections, making landscapes feel more immersive. Vibrant Visuals is toggleable, doesn’t affect gameplay and supports Realms and Marketplace add‑ons on devices like Xbox Series X|S, PlayStation 4/5, Windows 10/11, iOS and Androidhttps://www.minecraft.net/en-us/vibrant-visuals-update#:~:text=Our%20dazzling%20visual%20refresh%2C%20Vibrant,fog%20drifts%2C%20and%20waterfalls%20glimmer. Mojang plans to bring the update to Java Edition in a future snapshothttps://www.minecraft.net/en-us/vibrant-visuals-update#:~:text=Vibrant%20Visuals%20is%20available%20first,journey%20in%20Minecraft%27s%20visual%20evolution.

* Java Edition 1.21.6 adds the Happy Ghast. The latest snapshot for Java Edition introduces a mountable flying mob called the Happy Ghast. Players can craft Harnesses from ghast tears and leather to ride the creature, and new Dried Ghast blocks found in Nether Fossils spawn small Ghastlingshttps://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/minecraft-java-edition-1-21-6#:~:text=Locator%20bar. A Locator Bar UI has been added to multiplayer, showing the direction and distance of other players. The update also includes a new music disc (“Tears”) and tracks by composer Amos Roddyhttps://www.minecraft.net/en-us/article/minecraft-java-edition-1-21-6#:~:text=Locator%20Bar.

### Roblox: Giant Egg Hunt, Licensed IP and AI‑Generated Dialogue

* The Hatch: the largest egg hunt in Roblox history. From July 2 to July 12 the platform is running The Hatch, a limited‑time egg hunt across more than 1 000 games. Players collect eggs themed around fire, ice, wind, earth and light, and redeem them for unique cosmetic rewards. The event features a central hub with lore and portals to participating games; developers like Banana Eats, Liar’s Table and Meta Lock confirmed their participation, while fan‑favourites like Grow a Garden and Adopt Me! were speculated to joinhttps://sportsrant.indiatimes.com/gaming/roblox-the-hatch-event-preview-egg-hunt-games-to-play-and-rewards-662597.html#:~:text=When%20the%20event%20starts%20and,how%20to%20join. The event is scheduled to end on July 12 at 6 PM UTC, so players should hurry if they want all of the UGC rewardshttps://sportsrant.indiatimes.com/gaming/roblox-the-hatch-event-preview-egg-hunt-games-to-play-and-rewards-662597.html#:~:text=earth%2C%20fire%2C%20water%2C%20air%2C%20time%2C,egg%20fusion%20or%20completion%20streaks.

* Grow a Garden breaks a concurrency record. Prior to The Hatch, on June 14 the farming game Grow a Garden hit 16 039 994 concurrent players, setting a new Roblox recordhttps://roblox.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Roblox_history/2025#:~:text=prominence%20and%20provide%20users%20a,life%20terrorist%20attack%20that%20was. This surge hints at the reach of casual social games on the platform and sets an impressive benchmark for other experiences.

* IP licensing goes mainstream. On July 15, Roblox announced a new Licenses catalog and Roblox License Manager. Rights holders such as Netflix, Lionsgate, SEGA and Kodansha can now list licences for their brands, and creators can apply to build games using those IPs. The platform launched with seven major franchises—including Squid Game, Stranger Things, Twilight, Saw, Divergent, Now You See Me and Like a Dragon—with more to followhttps://corp.roblox.com/newsroom/2025/07/roblox-launches-new-licensing-platform-for-experiences#:~:text=,IP. Roblox emphasised that its creators earned $923 million in 2024 (up 25 % from 2023), and the new system aims to channel a larger share of global gaming revenue through the platformhttps://corp.roblox.com/newsroom/2025/07/roblox-launches-new-licensing-platform-for-experiences#:~:text=The%20License%20Manager%20equips%20rights,IP%20holders%20can%20now.

* Roblox Text Generation API Beta. In March, Roblox opened a beta Text Generation API that allows developers to create NPC dialogue using AI. The system is moderated to align with Roblox’s safety standards; AI outputs are monitored to prevent abusive content and developers are not held responsible for the AI’s output unless they deliberately ask it to violate policieshttps://gameranx.com/updates/id/532634/article/roblox-implementing-beta-for-text-generation-ai/#:~:text=%E2%80%9CToday%2C%20we%20are%20launching%20the,%E2%80%9D. This tool could enable more dynamic storytelling and tutorials in Roblox experiences.

* Other news and platform changes. The famous “Oof” death sound returned to the Creator Marketplace on July 18, and on July 21 the Friends tab was renamed Connectionshttps://roblox.fandom.com/wiki/Timeline_of_Roblox_history/2025#:~:text=July. Meanwhile, concerns about platform safety surfaced when the FBI charged a Texas man who allegedly used Roblox chat to plan a terrorist attackhttps://www.404media.co/martyrdom-or-bust-texas-man-caught-plotting-terror-attack-through-roblox-chats/#:~:text=The%20FBI%20has%20accused%20a,%E2%80%9D. Roblox says it cooperated with authorities, reminding users that communication on the platform is monitored for safety.

### Spawnism: separating fiction from reality

One of the strangest storylines of 2025 has been Spawnism—a fictional respawn cult from the horror game Forsaken. Social media hype turned the in‑game ritual into an online subculture; some teenagers carved the cult’s symbol into their skin, believing it would trigger a respawn in real life. By mid‑July there were no confirmed fatalities, but reports of self‑harm incidents prompted platforms, creators and communities to remove Spawnism content, issue health warnings and promote mental‑health resourceshttps://www.gamethemedia.com/why-not-to-join-spawnism#:~:text=But%20in%20May%202025%2C%20reality,quickly%20slipped%20into%20earnest%20obsessionhttps://www.gamethemedia.com/why-not-to-join-spawnism#:~:text=In%20early%20July%2C%20the%20situation,formed%20to%20report%20cult%20activity. Gamers are urged not to engage with spawnism themes and to seek help if they or friends feel distressed.

### Final thoughts

Minecraft’s copper tier and Vibrant Visuals update show Mojang’s commitment to iterating on core gameplay and aesthetics. Roblox continues to push platform‑scale events and is opening the door for licensed IP collaborations, while also experimenting with AI‑powered dialogue. Yet the Spawnism phenomenon serves as a reminder that online trends can have real‑world consequences. As both games evolve, players should enjoy the new content but stay mindful of safety—whether that means taking care of one’s mental health or reporting inappropriate behaviour.