More than two years after its initial unveiling, Mojang has finally confirmed that Minecraft’s very-long-awaited Super Duper Graphics Pack is no longer in development.
Mojang initially announced the Super Duper Graphics Pack alongside Minecraft’s Better Together update. While the latter was a core system update, moving all platforms (except PS4) to the game’s new Bedrock version and enabling cross-play in the process, the Super Duper Graphics update was all about aesthetics; it would give the survival game a massive, optional visual overhaul, initially launching alongside the then-imminent Xbox One X version.
Better Together would bring 4K HDR support, as well as improved lighting, water, and shadows, but Super Duper Graphics would, according to Mojang’s enthusiastic announcement blog, usher in all sorts of “excessive visual razzmatazz”, including dynamic shadows, directional lighting, and edge highlighting. “Light will filter in shimmering rays through cotton clouds,” it gushed, “dappling the ground beneath fluttering foliage, and sparkling on the rippling waters.” It even accompanied the announcement with an extremely lavish musical trailer:
Minecraft Super Duper Graphics Pack – E3 2017 4K Trailer Watch on YouTube
As 2017 drew to a close, however, Mojang announced that it would be delaying the release of the Super Duper update into the following year, writing that, “there’s a lot of work to be done”. And from then on out, updates grew increasingly scarce, leaving many to ponder its fate.