The Southland destination was among the six locations developed as part of an initiative from Tourism New Zealand to introduce the country as a year-round destination and Māori culture to millions of players across the world.
The "Aotearoa New Zealand DLC" (downloadable content) would be available for free on the Minecraft Marketplace and features Waitomo Caves, Te Puia Village in Rotorua, Kāpiti Island, Abel Tasman, Tekapō/Takapo and Patea/Doubtful Sound.
It comes ahead of the release of the live-action film A Minecraft Movie, which was made in New Zealand and is set to be released next month.
Tourism New Zealand Chief Executive René de Monchy was excited by the potential of the initiative as they expected this activity would drive growth for New Zealand’s economy by attracting $50 million in visitor spend this year.
"This innovative approach to destination marketing offers millions of Minecraft fans the unique opportunity to virtually explore a range of iconic New Zealand locations. Players can then bring their adventures to life by planning and booking their next holiday to Aotearoa."
He said there was a great crossover between Minecraft users and Tourism New Zealand’s audience.
There were about 70 million people in Minecraft’s audience who were seriously considering a visit to New Zealand, while 85% of these players were interested in experiencing New Zealand through Minecraft, he said.
"Tourism New Zealand will promote the collaboration in off-shore markets through travel agents and activations for consumers bespoke to each market. Specific Minecraft itineraries have been developed to help travel sellers sell holidays that allow visitors to experience the locations in person."
Tourism New Zealand worked with Piki Studios, an official Minecraft Partner and award-winning Māori game design studio, to build the DLC.
The player would enter the game on to a marae and be welcomed by a mihi whakatau into a central hub, a wharenui.
"The game was developed in collaboration with tourism operators and mana whenua from the featured regions. It stands as the most recent and comprehensive example of Te Ao Māori being woven into a computer game."
