Moderators in blockbuster Minecraft can now issue bans to players not obeying the rules.

In a blog post on the game's website, the firm has said that users can be booted from servers if they aren't following its Community Guidelines. Right now, only permanent bans can be issued, but Mojang is looking to introduce temporary penalties for less serious issues.

"When a user is banned, they will receive a message specifying the reason, as well as information on how they can cancel their Realms subscription," the studio wrote.

"By introducing these new tools, we aim to ensure that our Community Guidelines are enforced, which in turn will help us provide a positive and enjoyable environment throughout our games. And there’s even more to come. We are constantly evaluating new ways to help us make our community a safer space for everyone, and will keep you updated on the progress. In the meantime, please be nice to each other."

Earlier in the year, Microsoft reported that Minecraft had close-to 132m monthly active users for the quarter ending May. At this point, the title had sold more than 200m copies to date.

Mojang said in July that it wanted to move the game from Amazon Web Services to the Big M's own Azure servers.