“Beautiful, grotesque, and scary”: Minecraft reveals the development history of the warden

To provide a point of reference, the intimidating Ender Dragon possesses 200 health points, while the Warden boasts a staggering 500 health points, more than twice as much. But how did Mojang Studios manage to conceive such a terrifying and formidable creature? Fortunately, we now have an explanation. In a video entitled The Scariest Cow Ever Created ┃The Story Of The Warden, the developers delve into the origins of this mob, with art director Jasper Boerstra describing it as:

“Beautiful, grotesque, and scary.”

The evolution of the Warden and the team’s creative process behind its appearance and gameplay in Minecraft will be discussed in this development history.

The Creation of the Warden in Minecraft

In the lengthy YouTube video, the creators of Minecraft’s frightening Warden mob divulge their thought process behind its inception. Surprisingly, the team began developing the concept as early as 2020, coinciding with the impactful Nether update release.

The development team also wanted to incorporate an element of fear into the game by creating a mob that was not overly dangerous, but still posed a challenge for players to avoid. This was a unique aspect, as previous boss entities in Minecraft lacked this fear factor. The developers aimed to enhance the overall experience by adding this element.

During the process of creating, the team brainstormed various names and designs for the frightening mobs. The initial concept was the Stalker, a tall and lopsided creature with exceptional hearing abilities but limited vision.

Concept for the Stalker (Image via Mojang Studios)

The most frightening aspect of this particular Minecraft creature was its ability to squeeze into small spaces despite its height. If players chose to hide in narrow tunnels, it could crawl after them, making for a truly terrifying experience to see a massive, menacing mob approaching in the darkness.

Despite being rejected, the team continued to brainstorm and eventually came up with a new concept called the Hollowed. This creature was characterized by its numerous holes and fleshy pink color, giving it a repulsive rather than frightening appearance, especially with its vertical jaw. Thankfully, the Warden does not resemble this creature.

Concept for the Hollowed (Image via Mojang Studios)

Ultimately, the Warden was born from a combination of the Stalker and Hollowed designs by the team. For avid players of the game, it is highly recommended to watch both videos.