STEVE IS A PLAYER CHARACTER FROM THE 2011 SANDBOX VIDEO GAME MINECRAFT. CREATED BY SWEDISH VIDEO GAME DEVELOPER MARKUS "NOTCH" PERSSON AND INTRODUCED IN THE 2009 JAVA-BASED VERSION, STEVE IS THE FIRST OF NINE DEFAULT PLAYER CHARACTER SKINS AVAILABLE FOR PLAYERS OF CONTEMPORARY VERSIONS OF MINECRAFT. STEVE LACKS AN OFFICIAL BACKSTORY AS HE IS INTENDED TO BE A CUSTOMIZABLE PLAYER AVATAR AS OPPOSED TO BEING A PREDEFINED CHARACTER. HIS FEMININE COUNTERPART, ALEX, WAS INTRODUCED IN AUGUST 2014 FOR JAVA PC VERSIONS OF MINECRAFT, WITH THE OTHER SEVEN DEBUTING IN THE JAVA EDITION OF THE GAME IN OCTOBER 2022. DEPENDING ON THE VERSION OF MINECRAFT, PLAYERS HAVE A CHOICE OF DEFAULTING TO EITHER STEVE OR ANY OTHER VARIANT SKINS WHEN CREATING A NEW ACCOUNT. HOWEVER, THE SKIN IS EASY TO CHANGE FROM THE GAME ITSELF OR WEBSITE.
STEVE BECAME A WIDELY RECOGNIZED CHARACTER IN THE VIDEO GAME INDUSTRY FOLLOWING THE CRITICAL AND COMMERCIAL SUCCESS OF THE MINECRAFT FRANCHISE. CONSIDERED BY CRITICS AS A MASCOT FOR THE MINECRAFT INTELLECTUAL PROPERTY, HIS LIKENESS HAS APPEARED IN ADVERTISING AND MERCHANDISE, INCLUDING APPAREL AND COLLECTIBLE ITEMS. IN OCTOBER 2020, STEVE WAS ADDED AS A PLAYABLE CHARACTER TO SUPER SMASH BROS. ULTIMATE, WHERE HE IS RANKED AS THE GAME'S BEST CHARACTER AND HAS SPARKED CONTROVERSY DUE TO HIS IMBALANCED POWER, LEADING TO HIM BEING FREQUENTLY BANNED FROM SEVERAL TOURNAMENTS FOR THE GAME. STEVE'S DESIGN HAS ADDITIONALLY BEEN USED IN UNOFFICIAL MEDIA, SUCH AS THE "HEROBRINE" CREEPYPASTA. HE WILL BE PORTRAYED BY JACK BLACK IN A MINECRAFT MOVIE, SET FOR RELEASE ON APRIL 4, 2025. A CHARGED CREEPER THAT TAKES OUT EVEN NETHERITE ARMOR WITH JUST ONE EXPLOSION FROM ZEUS' POWERS AND DEALS 64 HEARTS OF DMG IF NO ARMOR; WHOLE LORE OF MINECRAFT ABOVE BTW