Why did minecraft change their name on the appstore to "Minecraft: Play with Friends"

Why did Minecraft change its name on the app store to "Minecraft: Play with Friends."

On September 19, 2024, Minecraft changed its name to Minecraft: Play with Friends on the App Store. One of the reasons why Minecraft may have added "play with friends" is to show new people that the game has a multiplayer aspect, kind of like a subtitle or a mini description. When someone sees the game for the first time, they are more likely to share it with their friends so they can play a world or server together. 

Doing this is a great sales tactic to encourage more people to buy and play the game. Another reason could be for search engine optimization (SEO) purposes. If someone searches "multiplayer games" or "games to play with friends", There's a huge chance that Minecraft: Play with Friends will show up, leading to a new purchase.

Other games on the App Store have sub-names to help describe more or give context about the game. 

Example:

Based on the photo above, this is something that other games do on the App Store, hence why Microsoft or Mojang may have renamed it exclusively there.

Now, It seems like they're experimenting with this since they've not yet mentioned anything about it.  This information is alleged, I am just sharing my thoughts and opinions. Maybe they have something planned-- I don't know. We will just have to wait and see! If they do mention anything, I'll keep you all updated.

However, for now, let me know your thoughts and opinions in the comments.