Minecraft's 'first luxury goods collection' features real-world $3,000 Burberry coat

Blockheads with $3,000 burning a hole in their pockets and a desire for a new coat can now blow their dough on a Minecraft-themed garment from high-end fashion brand Burberry.

Famed for its signature tan check, Burberry says its Minecraft tie-up unites "two brands with shared values of exploration, creativity and self-expression" and has resulted in "a fully immersive and branded in game experience, which is bespoke in both landscape and story line."

Minecraft started life as an indie game, popularized the sandbox genre, and became wildly popular because players – mostly kids – can use it to create almost anything. The game is free online, and a cheap download. Microsoft acquired the game for $2.5 billion in 2014 and has curated it decently, often promoting it as an educational tool and on-ramp to coding.

Parents have generally found it hard to disapprove of because Minecraft lacks blood and guts and it can be considered a kind of digital Lego.

And here we are now with a brand that unashamedly targets the wealthy commoditizing it with coats that cost $3,000. Even the cheapest item in the "capsule collection" of Burberry's Minecraft-adjacent items – a scarf – costs $250. Another scarf, which costs $550, mixes Burberry's house check and Minecraft imagery. It has already sold out a day after the November 1 launch of the range.

Ordinary looking track pants cost $720. If you can bear to look at other items, the collection is here.

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There's also an in-Minecraft manifestation of the collection, an exclusive filter on Instagram, plus bespoke emojis and special effects on big-in-China video sharing platform Bilibili.

"We are excited to announce Minecraft's first luxury goods collaboration with one of the most iconic fashion brands in the world, Burberry," said Kayleen Walters, Head of Franchise Development at Mojang Studios, in a canned statement. "We will bring the joy of gaming to the world of luxury fashion and introduce new audiences to the endless creative possibilities within Minecraft."

Including the possibilities for turning a beloved childhood brand into enormously expensive luxury items, even as the global economy heads into a period likely to bring hardship to billions. ®