Minecraft will no longer be adding fireflies in its upcoming The Wild update. Developer Mojang explained in a recent Q and A that the decision was to ensure a more authentic experience regarding the wildlife of the game. Unfortunately, that explanation did not appease the angry players who were looking forward to the glittering light of fireflies in the game.
Minecraft’s upcoming The Wild update is poised to expand and improve on the game’s biomes. Part of this expansion is the addition of some new wildlife, including a couple of types of frogs and the glowing fireflies that would serve as their food source. However, earlier this week Mojang announced that those fireflies would now not be a part of the update.
In a video titled “Ask Mojang”, the Swedish developer addressed some of the questions that the Minecraft community has. In response to the question “What happened to the fireflies?”, the developer gave a rather odd reason for the removal. Anna Lundgren, a producer at Mojang, explained that some feedback from the community alerted them to the fact that many species of fireflies and firebugs are poisonous to frogs.
So, to ensure that the pixelated frogs aren’t poisoned, fireflies were removed, and a tiny slime food source was added. However, Mojang is keeping the concept of fireflies in the back of its mind for future updates and plans.
Over on Reddit, a thread concerning the Q and A and the missing fireflies is filled with comments showcasing how upset players are at the change. Several players are shocked that Mojang would remove the fireflies in a video game because their real-world counterparts can be dangerous. As one commenter puts it, this is a block game where slapping a cow with food can impregnate it - clearly, players aren’t concerned with the real-world mechanics of the animals.
Meanwhile, others are confused why the fireflies weren’t kept and just not used as a food source for the frogs. After all, the concept of the glowing bugs is already ready to be injected into the game.