Technoblade's legacy lives on with 'Minecraft' homage and an uptick in YouTube fans

Alexandra Del Rosario
·2 min read
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FILE - Lydia Winters shows off Microsoft's "Minecraft" built specifically for HoloLens at the Xbox E3 2015 briefing before Electronic Entertainment Expo, June 15, 2015, in Los Angeles. Security experts around the world raced Friday, Dec. 10, 2021, to patch one of the worst computer vulnerabilities discovered in years, a critical flaw in open-source code widely used across industry and government in cloud services and enterprise software. Cybersecurity experts say users of the online game Minecraft have already exploited it to breach other users by pasting a short message into in a chat box. (AP Photo/Damian Dovarganes, File)
The popular video game "Minecraft" honored late YouTube star Technoblade. (Damian Dovarganes / Associated Press)

"Minecraft" has immortalized one of the most prominent members of its community with a moving tribute.

When players start up the game, they usually see a splash image of "Minecraft's" pixelated protagonists running in a field and a pig on a high ledge overlooking the scene. But in recent days, players have noticed that the swine that greets them now touts a golden crown.

The decked-out pig is a nod to late YouTube star Technoblade and his online avatar, which was a sword-wielding pig who donned a bejeweled crown and a red, fur-trimmed coat fit for royalty. Technoblade, 23, died Thursday of cancer, prompting an outpouring of tributes from the "Minecraft" and gaming communities.

"Minecraft" included the subtle homage in the launch page of its Java edition of the game.

The popular video game, where players build tools and create in a pixelated world, previously honored Technoblade on social media following his death.

“We have been trying to find the words, but all of us here at Minecraft are broken over the loss of Technoblade,” the official Twitter account posted Thursday. “He meant so much to our community and brought so much joy.”

Technoblade was known for his videos about "Minecraft," which earned him a following of 13 million YouTube subscribers and 3.8 million Twitter followers. His YouTube subscriber count jumped up from 11 million in the days following his death.

In an emotional video, which has since garnered nearly 59 million views on YouTube, Technoblade's father announced his son's death and read aloud the content creator's final words to his fans.

“If I had another 100 lives, I think I would choose to be Technoblade again every single time as those were the happiest years of my life,” his farewell said.

“I hope you enjoyed my content and that I made some of you laugh and I hope you all go on to live long, prosperous and happy lives because I love you guys. Technoblade out.”

This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.