Many Minecraft players were lucky enough to receive a cape when attending Minecon back in 2017 and before. Unfortunately, this was the only way to nab an official Minecraft cape for free.

The devs want everyone to switch over to Microsoft accounts for "improved security and player safety", and they're enticing people to make the change with the promise of free Minecraft capes.

You'll need a Microsoft account to download Minecraft but that's no sweat to do. Choosing between the two versions, Java and ...

Minecraft: Java Edition players can't put off migrating to a Microsoft account much longer, says Mojang, which has revealed a hard deadline for the switch.

This Fall, new Minecraft Java players will need to create a Microsoft account to log-in. Meanwhile, existing Mojang accounts will need to migrate in early 2021.

Microsoft’s free Minecraft for Windows 10 giveaway ends at midnight for Java players Legacy Minecraft: Java Edition players can still snag free codes to the Windows 10 Edition until midnight.

Existing Java users will need to make the "mandatory" transition in early 2021. This will happen in batches, and once you've been transitioned you'll receive a free cape.

That’s why we’ve decided that moving forward, all of our games will require a Microsoft account to play – including Minecraft Java Edition," the post begins. "Why?