In an attempt to open a dialog with torrent enthusiasts, the producers behind Minecraft: The Story of Mojang have willfully uploaded their movie to The Pirate Bay. The documentary, which premieres exclusively on Xbox Live today, traces Minecraft's path as it rose to become a gaming phenomenon. After its brief Xbox screening, the film will be sold digitally for $8 in a DRM-free video format beginning tomorrow; a $20 physical DVD will also be available. But 2 Player Productions, the small production company behind the movie, realized it would only be a matter of time before their work hit torrent sites. So they decided to upload it themselves.

"We wanted to come here first because we knew the movie would end up here eventually," reads the torrent's description. Acknowledging that piracy won't be disappearing any time soon, the company concedes there are "fine" reasons some users may opt to illegally download the movie, including resentment over the Xbox-only debut. But 2 Player ultimately hopes people will decide in favor of a legitimate purchase, even if they steal the film first. "We're just three guys trying to make a living doing what we love," they say. "The reason we Kickstarted this movie in the first place was that we didn't have enough money to make it ourselves, and even then, we still put A LOT of our own money into it." Minecraft: The Story of Mojang raised over $210,000 on the crowdfunding site, no doubt owing to the game's loyal fan base.