The Wither Storm first appeared in Minecraft Story Mode, the episodic adventure game by Telltale Games released in 2015, where it was created as a far larger and more dangerous version of Minecraft's Wither boss. Its scale and roaring presence made it one of the series' most memorable threats. Clips of its growls later circulated among Minecraft fans on video platforms and soundboards, where short beastly sounds became popular for edits, fan animations and gameplay montages. It remains in use because the growl instantly signals a huge boss level danger.