Way back in the year of our Lord 2009, a small project by the name of Minecraft popped up on the TIGSource forums. Since then, it has skyrocketed into one of the most influential and widely-played titles in the history of gaming, and Mojang has a whole slew of celebrations planned to commemorate its lengthy history.
The studio behind Minecraft, Mojang, made a $10,000 donation in March to the Charity: Water, an organization that helps spread the ability to access clean water to people who have difficulty getting it. In April, Mojang promised to give more so long as “The Traveling Trader” map and skin pack was downloaded 10,000 times across the PC, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, iOS and Android communities. Unsurprisingly this goal was ripped to shreds, as the map was downloaded over 10,000 times in 24 hours and has since passed 100,000 downloads. Thanks to this success, Mojang has donated another $90,000 to Charity: Water.
Microsoft and Mojang have made good on the promise from E3 2017 that Minecraft would become a cross-platform gaming experience. With the “Better Together” update, players from mobile, Xbox One, and Windows 10 platforms can all play together. It should also be noted that while the Nintendo Switch version is still in development (with a “soon” release date at best) it will be cross-platform compatible upon its release.
I'm hip. I know what's down with the kids. So I know loads about something called Adventure Time; it appears to be a cartoon about a hat wearing boy and his dog? What I do know is that a new Adventure Time DLC pack is coming to console and Windows 10 versions of Minecraft.
As a lover of co-op gaming I reckon that most of you will already have a Xbox Live Gold account to allow you to play online, but if you don't, this weekend you will still have free access online. This means that you can play any of your games online, plus you can try out Minecraft: Xbox One Edition until 21st May.
The Windows 10 Edition of Minecraft got a big update earlier this week that brings the version number up to 1.0; though it's still in beta, apparently. Anyways, along with that update, there's some "Festive Mash-Up" DLC available to purchase so you can deck the halls and all that jazz. The console versions aren't being left out of the DLC fun as they just got the "Fallout Mash-Up" DLC.
Minecraft players on all consoles will get some new content next week with a free update and some paid DLC, the Chinese Mythology Mash-Up Pack. The latter will add a pre-made world with plenty of temples, monasteries, dragons, and more to discover, while the free update will add some requested content based on the Arctic biome.
If you're a Minecraft fan and have been holding off on buying an Xbox One, Microsoft may have just the deal for you. A new bundle will be hitting the store shelves next week for North America that features the smaller and slightly more powerful Xbox One S coupled with Minecraft: Xbox One Edition.
Hot on the heels of its four year console birthday, Minecraft: Xbox One Edition is rolling out another surprise that should please block stacking fans. Starting this June, interested humans can purchase a retail version of the Minecraft: Xbox One Edition Favorites Pack. No more digital-only goodies, now we got boxes and stuff!
It's somebody's birthday this week! Minecraft's, actually. The Xbox Editions of the block building mega game are celebrating four years of creepers and pickaxes. Four years on Xbox 360, that is. The Xbox One version is just two years old, but who cares? Free skins for everyone!
You ever wonder what the holiday season is like in Minecraft-world? Do the villagers and zombies set aside their differences and enjoy a piping hot mug of cocoa? What about the Ender Dragon? You think it gets lonely up there in its dream-fortress and just watches all the Christmas episodes of "M.A.S.H." on repeat for an entire month? Who's to say what happens to all the AI-controlled inhabitants of that world, but thanks to the new "Minecraft: Xbox One Edition Holiday Pack", maybe you and seven pals can start creating your own holiday traditions.
As a hugely popular single-purchase game must, Minecraft has been shifting its revenue stream more and more away from new users, instead focusing on providing extra content (both paid and free) for those already embedded in their franchise. Content packs are, naturally, one of the most clear-cut ways of doing so for consoles, as players can spend a few bucks for the chance to build sick fortresses as Gordon Freeman or the dude from Trials without the hassle of modding websites. The latest iteration of content packs is threefold, adding the following:
