Basically this.

I do want to point out, they COULD do BE ethically. Remove the subscription option and take a cut for all mod sales, and let private server operators and Realms use purchased mods while continuing to not charge players. Then put a legal ToS condition that using Realms requires such servers be operated without profit. Watch people set up private servers and Realms for their friends and charge private servers for API access. Done deal.

Of course, somebody at Microsoft wasn’t satisfied with that. They wanted complete control.

Protips for preparing for a potential end of java in a way that at least forces M$ to do something actually productive:

0. Don’t go quietly. Hold out if you are that determined to see Java continue.
1. NEVER get the Marketplace pass in Bedrock. It’s a bad deal meant to cater to fleeting, fad-chasing players. It also locks you out of purchasing limited-time items like any cosmetics and cancelling the subscription still leaves you screwed for 30 days.
2. If you’re a PC player, run a server or rent a Realm only if you don’t know anyone who has them and you can afford to. If you’re playing on Steam Deck or another Linux gamerdeck, do not host a local server, though Linux desktops are supported by the Minecraft Bedrock Dedicated Server software if you want to run one on a local, stationary setup.
3. Always buy Add-Ons, never Worlds, and never ever via “Marketplace Pass”. They rotate out mods in the pass, so it means you don’t even own a license to use it, let alone own the information you download as would be preferred (but will sadly never happen under Bedrock). I don’t know wtf Microsoft’s idiots were thinking at first, but Worlds are both useless and now functionally obsolete.
4. Avoid buying franchise “packs” and those sketchy “educational” sponsored content “adventures” exclusive to particular graphics cards. These are ultimately nothing more than an attempt to turn Minecraft into an advertizing medium like TV or social media, and support could end up dropped entirely for licensing reasons. Individual cosmetics appear to be an exception to this, as of April 2025.