A character from Minecraft Earth, as viewed through a smartphone, overlaid on the real world. (Minecraft Photo)

This week on the GeekWire Podcast: Four years after acquiring Minecraft, Microsoft this week unveiled its most ambitious effort yet to take the popular franchise to the next level, and into the real world. GeekWire went hands on with the new game, Minecraft Earth, but with the release not expected until later this summer, why the heck is Microsoft touting this game so long before the rest of us can actually play it?

Plus, Amazon is offering its employees an incentive to quit their jobs, if they start their own package delivery companies. This is the latest wrinkle in the company’s Delivery Service Partner program, which we explored in depth last year.

Finally, on the Random Channel, a new twist in our quest to stream live audio at the ballpark, a commentary on the sequestering of tech execs, and the latest in the scooter saga, featuring Washington Gov. Jay Inslee.

Listen to the conversation above, and subscribe in your favorite podcast app.

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