Minecraft: Java Edition removes 4chan reference

A small nod to internet imageboard 4chan has been quietly removed in Minecraft: Java Edition's latest update.

As spotted by Kotaku, Minecraft Java's new version 1.17 has deleted the splash screen message "Woo, /v/!" - a reference to 4chan's /v/ video game channel.

The message had sat in the code of the original Java Minecraft for over a decade, added by long-departed creator Markus "Notch" Persson. It was never featured in the newer Bedrock version of the game available on consoles, mobiles and Windows.

Microsoft has not commented on the removal, though it's not difficult to see why developer Mojang would prefer not to advertise the infamous NSFW imageboard in its kid-friendly sandbox game.

It's not the first time these splash screen messages have been trimmed, either. Back in 2019, Minecraft's Java and console versions excised various strings related to Notch.

Messages such as "Made by Notch!", "The Work of Notch!" and "110813!" - a nod to the date Notch got married - were quietly removed, though Notch is still listed in the game's credits.

Microsoft did not comment on those changes either, though shortly after confirmed Notch would not be involved in Minecraft's 10th anniversary celebrations due to his increasingly eyebrow-raising "comments and opinions".

In happier news, the first half of Minecraft's Caves and Cliffs update now has a release date for both Java and Bedrock versions of the game - and it's next week.

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