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{{Infobox
'''SpongeCraft''' is the name given to the official Minecraft server of [[The SpongeBob Community]]. To date, it has taken on three different iterations:


|name =
*'''SpongeCraft Classic''' (known during its operation simply as SpongeCraft), the original creative mode server which operated from 2015 to 2019, and featured the world of [[Spongecraftia]].
*'''SpongeCraft Frontiers''', which operated from 2023 to 2026, first as a survival-oriented server, and later as a hybrid game mode server.
*'''SpongeCraft Forge''', a revival of Classic which replaced Frontiers in 2026, and features an extensive system of addons using the Forge mod loader.


|bodystyle =
SpongeCraft has been SBC's most prominent and expansive gaming-related feature since the original server's debut in January 2015, and played an important part in the community's history over the years. [[HawkbitAlpha]] has served as SpongeCraft's primary [[SpongeCraft Operators|maintainer]] since the launch of Frontiers in July 2023.


|title = [[File:Spongecraft.png]]
==History==
===SpongeCraft Classic (2015-2019)===
[[File:Spongecraft.png|thumb|right|200px]]
'''SpongeCraft''' (later known as '''SpongeCraft Classic''', to differentiate it from its successors) launched on January 30th, 2015 using Minecraft 1.5.2, and received regular updates over the next two years, with its last major change being a July 2017 update to version 1.12.2. It ran on the [[Spot]] server, and featured the world of [[SpongeCraftia]].


|titlestyle =
SpongeCraft was the creation of MDPP, who launched it as a self-hosted operation using a Raspberry Pi, which placed unique restrictions on building in SpongeCraft's first weeks: a square formation of cakes, dubbed the "cake line", outlined a small perimeter within [[Historic Spongecraftia]], in which players were able to build without overtaxing the server hardware. After this restriction was lifted, players began to rapidly spread construction projects outward from the now densely-packed [[Historic Spongecraftia City]], which evolved into the system of dedicated "nations" such as [[Unknown Spongecraftia]] and [[Arctic Spongecraftia]].


|image = [[File:2019-09-15 01.49.36.png|200px]]
Unlike future iterations of SpongeCraft, Classic utilized a special launcher which allowed players to log into the game using their SBC account credentials. This allowed the server to be integrated with the SBC website itself, with one of its key advantages being the ability for players to earn [[Doubloons]] from in-game activities. This integration, however, required constant maintenance to keep working, and became less functional over time, before being discontinued in the latter half of 2018 following MDPP's [[Third SBC Renaissance|removal from SBC]]. [[sbl]] would assume leadership over SpongeCraft for the remainder of its lifespan.


|imagestyle =
SpongeCraft Classic holds an especially important place in SBC history due to the Bukkit plugin DiscordSRV, which inspired the creation of the SBC [[The SpongeBob Community Discord|Discord]] in June 2016. While it was originally made as a bridge between non-gaming SBC members and players on the server, the Discord would go on to replace the aging SBC [[The SpongeBob Community Xat|Xat]] as the community's primary hub.


|caption = Group picture on SpongeCraft
On August 25, 2019, it was announced that SpongeCraft would be discontinued in September 2019, due to a combination of low activity and insurmountable technical issues caused by the defunct SBC integration. The map itself was backed up before its closure and [https://www.thesbcommunity.com/forums/index.php?/topic/17785-spongecraft-map-downloads/ released] as an archive. The final tournaments were held on September 13 and 14, 2019, before the server went down permanently on September 19.


|captionstyle =
===SpongeCraft Frontiers (2023-2026)===
[[File:SpongeCraft Frontiers Logo.png|thumb|right|200px]]
Shortly after being appointed as an SBC Cashier in November 2022, [[HawkbitAlpha]] posted a forum thread to gauge interest in a possible comeback of SpongeCraft. The server's future revival was confirmed during the April 2023 rollout of [[Seahorse 15]], and on July 3rd, 2023, '''SpongeCraft Frontiers''' was officially revealed to the community, [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YMTqxO1B1JA opening to players] the next day.


|headerstyle = background:#ccf;
During its initial operation from July to December 2023, Frontiers ran on version 1.12.2 (and later 1.14.4), and had no connection to the original SpongeCraft, being a pure survival server which featured a new map known as [[The Frontierlands|the Frontierlands]]. The server went offline on January 3rd, 2024 due to a lapse in hosting payment, during which the provider deleted its files, forcing a total reset for its reopening. The "V2" relaunch of Frontiers, which went live on February 16th, 2024 as part of [[Februquarry]], introduced yet another new map, [[Overlandia]], but it did not initially gain traction with players. Activity on the server would only rebound in June, after [[Pretty Patty Pride]] led to the foundation of [[Twinleaf Town]]. This coincided with the server's conversion away from pure survival and into a "hybrid", as players were allowed to freely switch between survival and creative game modes. It received its final version update, from Spigot 1.14.4 to Purpur 1.18.2, in July 2025.


|labelstyle =
[[Anthemic Anniversary]] in August 2024 saw a highly consequential change made to the server with the addition of the Multiverse plugin, which allowed for SpongeCraftia to be added to the server as a second world alongside Overlandia. While it was originally added as a sort of historic archive, the classic map would gradually become the center of activity once again, leaving Overlandia with little development after its addition. This led to the discontinuation of Frontiers in January 2026, with its operator team and server infrastructure being carried over to its immediate successor, SpongeCraft Forge.


|datastyle =
===SpongeCraft Forge (2026-)===
[[File:SCForgeLogo.png|thumb|right|150px]]
In January 2026, Hawk joined a small team of friends outside of SBC to beta-test SeguinRise, a custom Forge mod pack for Minecraft 1.20.1. Hawk used one of its pre-release builds as the foundation for a new content pack for SpongeCraft, and after several attempted deployments, officially debuted '''SpongeCraft Forge''' on January 26th, 2026, taking the place of Frontiers. Due to Forge's incompatibility with Bukkit plugins, the Multiverse plugin was discontinued on the server, causing the removal of Overlandia as a second map. As a result, SpongeCraft Forge is considered the "true" successor to Classic, as it once again brings back the world of SpongeCraftia as its primary setting.


|header1 = Last Version
SpongeCraft Forge is the first iteration of SC to use both server-side and client-side mods, introducing not only various quality-of-life improvements for Minecraft itself, but also a vast array of new content including building materials, tools, vehicles, and even media players. It also implements [https://bdcraft.net/downloads/purebdcraft-minecraft/ PureBDCraft] as the server's official texture pack of choice.


|label2 = Minecraft Version
==Event History==
===Classic===
*February 7th, 2015 - Arena Fight
*March 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th, 2015 - [[March_Madness_2015#SpongeCraft_Tournaments|March Madness 2015]]
*May 22nd, 29th, June 5th, and 12th, 2015 - [[Spin-Off Festival 5#SpongeCraft_Tournaments|Spin-Off Festival 5]]
*July 3rd, 10th, 19th, 24th and 31st, 2015 - July Tournaments
*August 15th, 22nd and 29th, 2015 - [[Camp SBC]]
*October 17th, 24th and 31st, 2015 - [[Octerror Fest 2015]] Teams Tournament
*December 12th, 19th and 26th, 2015 - [[Snowcember Ball 2015]] Teams Tournament
*January 30th, 2016 - [[SpongeCraft Anniversary]]
*February 13th, 20th and 27th, 2016 - [[Freebooter Februarry]]
*March 5th, 12th, 19th and 27th, 2016 - [[March Madness 2016]]
*May 22nd, May 29th, June 3rd, and June 10th, 2016 - [[Spin-Off Festival 6]]
*July 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th, 2016 - [[The Super Spongy Square Games]]
*August 13th, 20th and 27th, 2016 - [[Summer Knights]]
*October 14th, 21st, and 28th, 2016 - [[Octerror Fest 2016]]
*November 26th, 2016 - [[Customer Appreciation Weekend]]
*December 10th, 17th and 26th, 2016 - [[Snowcember Ball 2016]]
*January 21st, 2017 - [[Missing Identity]]
*February 18th and 25th, 2017 - [[Fab Beats February]]
*March 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th, 2017 - [[March Madness 2017]]
*May 6th and 13th, 2017 - [[May Mayhem]]
*May 27th, June 3rd, June 10th, and June 17th, 2017 - [[Spin-Off Festival 7]]
*July 15th, 22nd, and 29th, 2017 - [[July of Justice]]
*August 19th, 26th and September 2nd, 2017 - [[Jellyfish Festival]]
*October 14th, 21st and 31st, 2017 - [[Octerror Fest 2017]]
*December 9th, 16th and 23rd, 2017 - [[Snowcember Ball 2017]]
*February 17th and 24th, 2018 - [[Futuristic February: In Space!]]
*March 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 31st, 2018 - [[March Madness 2018]]
*May 26th, June 2nd, 9th and 16th, 2018 - [[Spin-Off Festival 8]]
*July 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th, 2018 - [[Sponge Cup]]
*August 18th and 25th, 2018 - [[Rodessance]]
*October 13th, 20th and 27th, 2018 - [[Octerror Fest 2018]]
*December 15th, 22nd and 29th, 2018 - [[Snowcember Ball 2018]]
*February 16th and 23rd, 2019 - [[Flicks February]]
*March 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th, 2019 - [[March Madness 2019]]
*June 8th and 15th, 2019 - [[Spin-Off Festival 9]]
*July 20th and 27th, 2019 - [[SpongeBash]]
*August 24th and 31st, 2019 for [[SBC's 10th Anniversary]]
*September 13th and 14th, 2019 - SpongeCraft Goodbye Tournaments


|data2 = v1.12.2
===Frontiers===
*July 4th, 2023 - Launch party (V1)
*August 25th, 2023 - [[Bubble Festival]]: [[Centralia]] Build Contest
*October 28th, 2023 - [[Octerror Fest 2023]]: Mob-Killing Contest
*December 23rd, 2023 - [[Snowcember Ball 2023]]: Snowball Showdown
*February 16th, 2024 - Re-launch party (V2)
*February 17th, 2024 - [[Februquarry]]: [[Truffleville]] Build Contest
*February 24th, 2024 - Februquarry: Defend Truffleville
*March 9th, 2024 - [[Arcade Anarchy III]]: Platforming Challenge
*June 1st, 2024 - [[Pretty Patty Pride]]: [[Twinleaf Town]] Pride Build Contest
*July 4th, 2024 - One-year anniversary & 4th of July
*July 14th, 2024 - [[The Super SpongeBash Games 2024]]: Parkour Challenge
*August 17th, 2024 - [[Anthemic Anniversary]]: Note Block Song Contest
*August 31st, 2024 - Anthemic Anniversary: Historic SpongeCraftia Scavenger Hunt
*October 12th, 2024 - [[Octerror Fest 2024]]: Twinleaf Trick or Treating
*December 14th, 2024 - [[Snowcember Ball 2024]]: Ice Boat Race
*January 30th, 2025 - SpongeCraft 10th Anniversary Party & Building Contest
*February 15th, 2025 - [[Febracropolis]]: Gladiator Match
*March 8th, 2025 - [[Arcade Anarchy IV]]: Video Game Building Contest
*March 15th, 2025 - [[Arcade Anarchy IV]]: Boat Race
*May 10th, 2025 - 56th [[Stop What You Are Doing]]: Dunetooine Development
*June 7th, 2025 - [[Pretty Patty Pride 2025]]: Elytra Race
*July 18th, 2025 - [[Plankton 16]] Release: Chum City Development
*August 16th, 2025 - [[SBC-129]]: Defend Mars Spongecraftia
*August 23rd, 2025 - SBC-129: Futuristic Spongecraftia Deveopment
*September 13th, 2025 - [[Scientific September]]: Science Building Contest
*October 18th, 2025 - [[Octerror Fest 2025]]: Halloween Building Contest
*December 13, 2025 - [[Snowcember Ball 2025]]: Snow Sculpture Building Contest


|label3 = Release Date
===Forge===
 
|data3 = 7/6/17
 
|label4 = Status
 
|data4 = Discontinued
 
|header5 = Original Release
 
|label6 = Creator
 
|data6 = Mr. Dr. Professor Patrick
 
|label7 = Release Date
 
|data7 = 1/30/15
 
|label8 = Close Date
 
|data8 = 9/19/19
 
}}
 
''Not to be confused with spin-off by [[terminoob]], or the [[SpongeCraft (forum)|forum of the same name]]. For SpongeCraft's in-game world, see [[SpongeCraftia]].''
 
'''SpongeCraft''' was a feature on SBC, released on January 30, 2015. Designed by MDPP, it was the all exclusive SBC release of [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Minecraft Minecraft]. It used to run on Minecraft 1.5 (more specifically 1.5.2) From July 2017 to its closure, the SpongeCraft client ran on Minecraft 1.12.2. SpongeCraft ran on the [[Spot]] server.
 
On August 25, 2019, it was announced that SpongeCraft would be discontinued in September 2019, due to various unsolvable issues and lack of activity. [https://www.thesbcommunity.com/forums/index.php?/topic/17785-spongecraft-map-downloads/ The map itself was backed-up before its closure and released as an archive.] The final tournaments were held on September 13 and 14, 2019. SpongeCraft finally shut down for good on September 19, 2019.
 
As of November 2022, the SBC staff are exploring the possibility of a future SpongeCraft reboot, stating that the server would continue to operate on version 1.12.2 if it were re-launched.
 
==Features==
* Supported Windows XP and later, Mac OS X 10.5+, and 32/64-bit Linux.
* Home of [[Teams|Team]] events and tournaments.
* General SpongeCraft events: PVP battles, hide and seek, arena, and last one standing.
* When an event isn't going on, the world of Spongecraftia is open for anyone to build in.
* Custom Minecraft skins were available for [[Loyal Customers]] and staff. Originally skins could be purchased in the SpongeCraft Store for 5,000 doubloons, but due to [[iFish]] skins no longer working, the item was just removed altogether. A custom Minecraft skin would allow you to change your appearance in-game to anything you'd like.
* Custom in-game name changes are also available in SBC store. Name changes allow you to add text before and after your name, such as "The Great and Powerful [[sbl]]."
* You could earn [[Doubloons]] from mining in the Doubloon Mine.
 
==Updates==
February 20th, 2015 -  MDPP released the [http://www.thesbcommunity.com/forums/index.php?/topic/11481-first-spongecraft-update/|the first update] to SpongeCraft that had one fix: the game now included the new server. With the new server, the cake line, which previously prohibited SBC members from going too far away from the town and causing lag on the then-[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Raspberry_Pi Raspberry Pi] server, was removed and now supports expansion into the Nether and the End.
 
June 18th, 2015 -  MDPP released [http://www.thesbcommunity.com/forums/index.php?/topic/11940-use-minecraft-with-spongecraft/ a server update] that allows any Minecraft username onto the server with a catch: you ''must'' register your Minecraft username through SBC before logging in. It does support username changes through Mojang. Around the same time, [[SpongeCraft (forum)|a forum was added for all SpongeCraft discussions]].
 
July 18th, 2015 - Another update launched to fix a bug people had with logging in.
 
September 2nd, 2015 - [[Face]] was added as an [http://minecraft.gamepedia.com/Server#Managing_a_server operator] to help out with SpongeCraft.
 
September 26th, 2015 - To coincide with the release of [[V11 Starfish]], SpongeCraft received a major upgrade. [[Face]] developed a new client for SpongeCraft with better integration with mods and automatic updates, as well as providing a cleaner look. [[crushingmayhem]] was also added as an operator before he was promoted to [[Cashiers|Cashier]].
 
October 4th, 2015 - iFish skins are removed due to incompatibility, and the client is upgraded to 1.8.0.
 
November 21st, 2015 - Face introduced [https://www.thesbcommunity.com/forums/topic/12743-release-the-sims-expansion/ The Sims Expansion], which added a new world where villagers became interactive, talked to you, and could even marry and have babies with you. It has since been unsupported and eventually had to be taken down.
 
March 9th, 2016 - The client is upgraded to 1.9, which has many new features.
 
June 23rd, 2016 - The client is upgraded to 1.9.4. A few days later, Loyal Customers have the ability to [https://www.thesbcommunity.com/forums/topic/13599-fancy-effects-for-lcs/ add fancy effects] to their in-game character.
 
July 7th, 2016 - Face introduced a new mini-game, [https://www.thesbcommunity.com/forums/topic/13647-hide-n-seek-mini-game/ Hide N Seek].
 
July 9th, 2016 - MDPP released a new client executable update, which added new features, such as encryption, the client updating itself, portability (being able to stick the executable on removable media and take it somewhere else), and more!
 
September 10th, 2016 - The client is upgraded to 1.10.2.
 
November 27th, 2016 - The client is upgraded to 1.11.0, which has many new features, such as spawning llamas. It was added during [[Customer Appreciation Weekend]].
 
February 18th, 2017 - The client is upgraded to 1.11.2.
 
July 6th, 2017 - The client is upgraded to 1.12.2 [[sbl]] was also added as an operator.
 
July 9th, 2017 - Face added [https://www.thesbcommunity.com/forums/topic/14927-new-feature-vehicles/ Vehicles], which added the ability to ride bikes, cars, trains, rafts, submarines, helicopters, planes, brooms, parachutes, and tanks.
 
August 29th, 2018 - [[Spongeboblover|sbl]] introduces [https://dev.bukkit.org/projects/imageonmap ImageOnMap], a new plugin that allows you to add any image off the Internet into the game!
 
September 10th, 2018 - [[Spongeboblover|sbl]] updates the server to 1.13.1, but the SpongeCraft client is still on 1.12.2 as of the same day. Therefore, SC is unplayable to most SBC users at the moment. Due to problems with 1.13.1, the client switches back to 1.12.2, leaving the 1.13 update on the back-burner for now.
 
March 9th, 2019 - [[sbl]] adds DiscordSRV, getting rid of the old Discord solution, DiscordMC, for the [[The SpongeBob Community Discord|Discord server]]. It allows for better synchronization with the game and the #spongecraft channel.
 
May 19th, 2019 - SpongeCraft received a few updates and new features for [[Sponge 13]], including: the Spleef minigame, automatic announcements and tips, new permissions system, chat is now formatted correctly, new way to go to the directory and clear your inventory, facelift for server selection screen, and general optimization.
 
September 19th, 2019 - SpongeCraft was discontinued.
 
==Operators==
[[SpongeCraft Operators|SpongeCraft operators]] were users who had administrative power on SpongeCraft. They helped to develop and manage the server, as well as moderate the SpongeCraft forum.
 
[[Face]] (September 2015 - July 2018)
 
[[crushingmayhem]] (September 2015 - September 2018)
 
[[sbl]] (July 2017 - September 2019)
 
[[OWM]] (July 2018 - September 2019)
 
==Goodbye Tournaments==
Before SpongeCraft's closure, two final tournaments were held in September 2019 as a final send off. These tournaments took place on September 13, 2019 and September 14, 2019.
 
'''Tournament 1'''
 
Date: September 13th, 2019
 
Game: Final Arena Battle
 
Winners: [[Patty Sponge]] and [[sbl]]
 
'''Tournament 2'''
 
Date: September 14th, 2019
 
Game: Final Building Contest
 
Winners: [[DarknessDG]], [[OWM]], Patty Sponge and sbl
 
==Events==
* February 7th, 2015 7PM EST. (Arena fight)
* March 7th, 14th, 21st, and 28th, 2015, as part of [[March_Madness_2015#SpongeCraft_Tournaments|March Madness 2015]]
* May 22nd, 29th, June 5th, and 12th, 2015, as a part of [[Spin-Off Festival 5#SpongeCraft_Tournaments|Spin-Off Festival 5]]
* July 3rd, 10th, 19th, 24th and 31st, 2015, as July tournaments for teams.
* August 15th, 22nd and 29th, 2015, as a part of [[Camp SBC]].
* October 17th, 24th and 31st, 2015, as a teams tournament for [[Octerror Fest 2015]].
* December 12th, 19th and 26th, 2015, as a teams tournament for [[Snowcember Ball 2015]].
* January 30th, 2016 for [[SpongeCraft Anniversary]].
* February 13th, 20th and 27th, 2016 for [[Freebooter Februarry]].
* March 5th, 12th, 19th and 27th, 2016 for [[March Madness 2016]].
* May 22nd, May 29th, June 3rd, and June 10th, 2016 for [[Spin-Off Festival 6]].
* July 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th, 2016 for [[The Super Spongy Square Games]].
* August 13th, 20th and 27th, 2016 for [[Summer Knights]].
* October 14th, 21st, and 28th, 2016 for [[Octerror Fest 2016]].
* November 26th, 2016 for [[Customer Appreciation Weekend]].
* December 10th, 17th and 26th, 2016 for [[Snowcember Ball 2016]].
* January 21st, 2017 for [[Missing Identity]].
* February 18th and 25th, 2017 for [[Fab Beats February]].
* March 4th, 11th, 18th and 25th, 2017 for [[March Madness 2017]].
* May 6th and 13th, 2017 for [[May Mayhem]].
* May 27th, June 3rd, June 10th, and June 17th, 2017 for [[Spin-Off Festival 7]].
* July 15th, 22nd, and 29th, 2017 for [[July of Justice]].
* August 19th, 26th and September 2nd, 2017 for [[Jellyfish Festival]].
* October 14th, 21st and 31st, 2017 for [[Octerror Fest 2017]].
* December 9th, 16th and 23rd, 2017 for [[Snowcember Ball 2017]].
* February 17th and 24th, 2018 for [[Futuristic February: In Space!]]
* March 3rd, 10th, 17th, and 31st, 2018 for [[March Madness 2018]].
* May 26th, June 2nd, 9th and 16th, 2018 for [[Spin-Off Festival 8]].
* July 7th, 14th, 21st and 28th, 2018 for [[Sponge Cup]].
* August 18th and 25th, 2018 for [[Rodessance]].
* October 13th, 20th and 27th, 2018 for [[Octerror Fest 2018]].
* December 15th, 22nd and 29th, 2018 for [[Snowcember Ball 2018]].
* February 16th and 23rd, 2019 for [[Flicks February]].
* March 2nd, 9th, 16th, 23rd and 30th, 2019 for [[March Madness 2019]].
* June 8th and 15th, 2019 for [[Spin-Off Festival 9]].
* July 20th and 27th, 2019 for [[SpongeBash]].
* August 24th and 31st, 2019 for [[SBC's 10th Anniversary]].
* September 13th and 14th, 2019 for the SpongeCraft Goodbye tournaments.


==Gallery==
==Gallery==
<gallery>
<gallery>
2015-12-22 20.36.41.png|Picture taken within the first year of SC's release
File:2015-02-01_16.38.28.png|Classic one week after release
File:2015-02-01_16.38.28.png|Picture taken within the first week of SC's release
2015-12-22 20.36.41.png|Classic 11 months after release
File:2019-09-15 01.49.36.png|Classic farewell party, September 15th, 2019
File:SCFLaunchGroupPic.JPG|Frontiers's first opening day ceremony, July 4th, 2023
File:SCF10YearsGroupPhoto.png|SC 10th anniversary celebration on Frontiers, January 30th, 2025
</gallery>
</gallery>


==See Also==
* [http://www.thesbcommunity.com/forums/index.php?/topic/11428-cool-things-in-spongecraft/ Cool Things in SpongeCraft]
* [https://www.thesbcommunity.com/forums/index.php?/topic/17785-spongecraft-map-downloads/ SpongeCraft Map Downloads]
{{Features old}}
[[Category:Defunct Features]]
[[Category:SpongeCraft]]
[[Category:SpongeCraft]]
[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:Games]]
[[Category:Events]]

Latest revision as of 18:35, 27 January 2026

SpongeCraft is the name given to the official Minecraft server of The SpongeBob Community. To date, it has taken on three different iterations:

  • SpongeCraft Classic (known during its operation simply as SpongeCraft), the original creative mode server which operated from 2015 to 2019, and featured the world of Spongecraftia.
  • SpongeCraft Frontiers, which operated from 2023 to 2026, first as a survival-oriented server, and later as a hybrid game mode server.
  • SpongeCraft Forge, a revival of Classic which replaced Frontiers in 2026, and features an extensive system of addons using the Forge mod loader.

SpongeCraft has been SBC's most prominent and expansive gaming-related feature since the original server's debut in January 2015, and played an important part in the community's history over the years. HawkbitAlpha has served as SpongeCraft's primary maintainer since the launch of Frontiers in July 2023.

History

SpongeCraft Classic (2015-2019)

SpongeCraft (later known as SpongeCraft Classic, to differentiate it from its successors) launched on January 30th, 2015 using Minecraft 1.5.2, and received regular updates over the next two years, with its last major change being a July 2017 update to version 1.12.2. It ran on the Spot server, and featured the world of SpongeCraftia.

SpongeCraft was the creation of MDPP, who launched it as a self-hosted operation using a Raspberry Pi, which placed unique restrictions on building in SpongeCraft's first weeks: a square formation of cakes, dubbed the "cake line", outlined a small perimeter within Historic Spongecraftia, in which players were able to build without overtaxing the server hardware. After this restriction was lifted, players began to rapidly spread construction projects outward from the now densely-packed Historic Spongecraftia City, which evolved into the system of dedicated "nations" such as Unknown Spongecraftia and Arctic Spongecraftia.

Unlike future iterations of SpongeCraft, Classic utilized a special launcher which allowed players to log into the game using their SBC account credentials. This allowed the server to be integrated with the SBC website itself, with one of its key advantages being the ability for players to earn Doubloons from in-game activities. This integration, however, required constant maintenance to keep working, and became less functional over time, before being discontinued in the latter half of 2018 following MDPP's removal from SBC. sbl would assume leadership over SpongeCraft for the remainder of its lifespan.

SpongeCraft Classic holds an especially important place in SBC history due to the Bukkit plugin DiscordSRV, which inspired the creation of the SBC Discord in June 2016. While it was originally made as a bridge between non-gaming SBC members and players on the server, the Discord would go on to replace the aging SBC Xat as the community's primary hub.

On August 25, 2019, it was announced that SpongeCraft would be discontinued in September 2019, due to a combination of low activity and insurmountable technical issues caused by the defunct SBC integration. The map itself was backed up before its closure and released as an archive. The final tournaments were held on September 13 and 14, 2019, before the server went down permanently on September 19.

SpongeCraft Frontiers (2023-2026)

Shortly after being appointed as an SBC Cashier in November 2022, HawkbitAlpha posted a forum thread to gauge interest in a possible comeback of SpongeCraft. The server's future revival was confirmed during the April 2023 rollout of Seahorse 15, and on July 3rd, 2023, SpongeCraft Frontiers was officially revealed to the community, opening to players the next day.

During its initial operation from July to December 2023, Frontiers ran on version 1.12.2 (and later 1.14.4), and had no connection to the original SpongeCraft, being a pure survival server which featured a new map known as the Frontierlands. The server went offline on January 3rd, 2024 due to a lapse in hosting payment, during which the provider deleted its files, forcing a total reset for its reopening. The "V2" relaunch of Frontiers, which went live on February 16th, 2024 as part of Februquarry, introduced yet another new map, Overlandia, but it did not initially gain traction with players. Activity on the server would only rebound in June, after Pretty Patty Pride led to the foundation of Twinleaf Town. This coincided with the server's conversion away from pure survival and into a "hybrid", as players were allowed to freely switch between survival and creative game modes. It received its final version update, from Spigot 1.14.4 to Purpur 1.18.2, in July 2025.

Anthemic Anniversary in August 2024 saw a highly consequential change made to the server with the addition of the Multiverse plugin, which allowed for SpongeCraftia to be added to the server as a second world alongside Overlandia. While it was originally added as a sort of historic archive, the classic map would gradually become the center of activity once again, leaving Overlandia with little development after its addition. This led to the discontinuation of Frontiers in January 2026, with its operator team and server infrastructure being carried over to its immediate successor, SpongeCraft Forge.

SpongeCraft Forge (2026-)

In January 2026, Hawk joined a small team of friends outside of SBC to beta-test SeguinRise, a custom Forge mod pack for Minecraft 1.20.1. Hawk used one of its pre-release builds as the foundation for a new content pack for SpongeCraft, and after several attempted deployments, officially debuted SpongeCraft Forge on January 26th, 2026, taking the place of Frontiers. Due to Forge's incompatibility with Bukkit plugins, the Multiverse plugin was discontinued on the server, causing the removal of Overlandia as a second map. As a result, SpongeCraft Forge is considered the "true" successor to Classic, as it once again brings back the world of SpongeCraftia as its primary setting.

SpongeCraft Forge is the first iteration of SC to use both server-side and client-side mods, introducing not only various quality-of-life improvements for Minecraft itself, but also a vast array of new content including building materials, tools, vehicles, and even media players. It also implements PureBDCraft as the server's official texture pack of choice.

Event History

Classic

Frontiers

Forge

Gallery

  • Classic one week after release
    Classic one week after release
  • Classic 11 months after release
    Classic 11 months after release
  • Classic farewell party, September 15th, 2019
    Classic farewell party, September 15th, 2019
  • Frontiers's first opening day ceremony, July 4th, 2023
    Frontiers's first opening day ceremony, July 4th, 2023
  • SC 10th anniversary celebration on Frontiers, January 30th, 2025
    SC 10th anniversary celebration on Frontiers, January 30th, 2025
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