Minecraft developer Mojang has confirmed that it will add a free female character to the popular sandbox game. It will first be available on Wednesday, April 29 for the Xbox and other console versions of the game.
Minecraft did have a female character, Alex, in the PC versions, but it was randomly assigned and could not be selected in the game itself by players. Neither the console nor mobile editions currently have female player options. Instead, there are skins based on the male character, Steve.
In a blog post, Mojang, which is now owned by Microsoft, stated:
"Now, everyone loves Steve – he's probably the most famous minecrafter in the world, and has excellent stubble. But jolly old Steve doesn't really represent the diversity of our playerbase. For that reason, we're giving all players opportunity to play with an Alex skin instead. She brings thinner arms, redder hair, and a ponytail; she actually looks a bit like Jens from certain angles.
The Washington Post is also reporting that the mobile versions of Minecraft will add the free Alex player character option to the game sometime later this summer.
In addition to the Alex character, the Xbox 360 addition of Minecraft will get 30 new achievements with Wednesday's free update, along with a number of new songs.
Source: Mojang, The Washington Post