it was a pioneer in the sense that it was ahead of its time, coming out before even garry's mod.
i think blockland is going to be remembered as one of those games that didn't necessarily directly inspire anything major but looking back was really ahead of the curve. like velvet underground vs.
the monks. both very ahead of their time, but while the velvet underground inspired countless bands at time of release, the monks didn't really make a splash until years later.
and i wouldn't discount blockland's influence too much either. we're still a pretty notable mid-2000s indie game that a lot of people remember. i think our influence is a lot more subtle and indirect than something as explicit as minecraft or roblox, especially considering the significant crossover between blockland and facepunch.