The community is trying their best to cope with the rapidly evolving situation surrounding the spread of COVID-19. Governments are trying to quell panic while being appropriately cautious to contain the spread. Individuals are preserving their own and their families’ health by minimizing exposure. These are no doubt challenging times, and signs point to things getting worse before they get better.

We’ve been observing and thinking deeply about what actions to take as this virus continues to spread around the globe, and how to be as helpful as we possibly can be. Here is what we came up with.

The rapid spread of COVID-19 has led to a dramatic surge in the number of people working remotely — many of them forced. Like other software products that are especially useful for remote work and asynchronous communication, we’ve seen a sudden and dramatic increase in usage where schools are closing, in-person events are canceled, and businesses are asking employees to work from home. ‍

These recent trends make it obvious that we must take action and take action now. It also makes evident how, should we change nothing about our existing pricing model, we stand to profit from the rise of a global pandemic. This is obviously and unequivocally wrong.

What we’re changing today to help

We all need to be proactive during this challenging time, and especially help individuals and teams who need to be educated remotely and can’t access their workspace/schools because they are closed.

Other organizations are jumping in to ease the pain of this transition from co-located workplaces and classrooms to remote settings. Google’s G-Suite announced free Enterprise features until July 1, 2020. Microsoft Teams announced six-month-long free trials. As a video messaging platform for the workplace (and classroom), we hope MineAcademy can make a difference on this front as well.

For the next 30 days, MineAcademy will:

  1. Cut the price of Project Orion in half – what was $197 is now $97 lifetime
  2. Provide ongoing support, and to continue to assess these changes as the situation evolves

Many people around the world do not have the luxury of taking time off work without it severely altering their financial well-being. Taking weeks or months out of school will have a huge impact on students’ education for years to come.

Our hope is that by stepping up, we’re making a positive impact in the world, not just by making our product more accessible, but by helping set the kind of example we hope more businesses will follow.

Learn more about Project Orion & how to make your own Minecraft plugins here!

Take care of each other.

Matej