In response to the uptick in children stuck at home due to the Coronavirus, Microsoft is offering free access to a suite of educational gaming content until this summer.
In a statement released on the official Xbox website on Mar. 24, Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox, revealed that the company had added a new Education category to the Minecraft Marketplace as a way to help parents continue their children’s education through lockdown and quarantine-related school closures due to the Coronavirus.
The category will offer free content which parents and children can download at their leisure until June 30, 2020.
“The educational content we’ve curated lets players explore the International Space Station though a partnership with NASA, learn to code with a robot, visit famous Washington D.C. landmarks, find and build 3D fractals, learn what it’s like to be a marine biologist, and so much more,” Spencer writes.
The statement also says that the company is monitoring the usage trends of players to better optimize their services, and to better accommodate the needs of their user base through the issues caused by the Coronavirus.
“We understand the important role gaming is playing right now to connect people and provide joy in these isolating and stressful times, and our teams are working diligently to ensure we can be there for our players,” Spencer writes.
The full statement can be found here.
Microsoft are far from the only ones taking actions in the face of the Coronavirus’ impact on the world. Sony announced today that it would be throttling access to its internet services in Europe to ensure its servers don’t become overloaded, and that everyone flocking to said services can continue to enjoy them in some regard.
Several companies have also moved to a remote-work approach, including big name developers and publishers like Square Enix and Bethesda, until it is deemed safe for them to return to work at their respective studios.
For all of the latest news on the Coronavirus’ impact on the gaming industry, stay tuned to Twinfinite.net.
