• by Colin Kirkland , Yesterday

Adidas has announced a new holiday product collection in partnership with the social gaming platform Minecraft, marking an IRL expansion to the kids-centric merchandise launched alongside the Minecraft movie this past summer.

The Adidas holiday release includes new sneaker designs across various models, such as the Samba XLG, Handball Spezial, Campus 00s, Superstar II and Adilette slides.

Each design is based on Minecraft’s pixelated aesthetic style and recognizable in-game characters, or "mobs" (mobile entities), AI-driven creatures or players that populate the in-game world.

For this sneaker launch, Adidas focused on physical representations of the Creeper and the Ghast mobs.

Other sneaker designs mirror popular in-game items like the Eye of Ender -- a customizable item that players use to locate strongholds and activate portals inside them, and additional Minecraft themes.

Minecraft, a Microsoft-owned game, has sold over 300 million copies globally, making it one of the most popular video games ever made, especially among younger audiences.

With player estimates in 2025 reaching over 200 million monthly active users, around 20% of its total user base is under the age of 15.

Notably, Adidas has considered these user statistics in its ongoing Minecraft product launches, offering all its relevant footwear exclusively in youth and children’s sizing.

Prior to its physical product launches within the expanding Minecraft collection, which also includes T-shirts, shorts, and tracksuits for kids and teens, Adidas launched digital in-game elements.

Each digital Adidas-branded item helps players with certain tasks. For example, the bucket hat allows players to see when submerged in lava.

Over the years, Minecraft has collaborated with other major brands – including Burberry, LEGO, Crocs, Razer, Lacoste, Dr. Squatch, and Lush – looking to appeal to younger audiences via both digital and physical product launches.

Adidas’ multi-year Minecraft partnership was initially inspired by “A Minecraft Movie,” the game’s first-ever movie adaptation, which has grossed almost $1 billion worldwide at the box office.