Next Generation Minecraft Games Get Release Details
In a post on their official site, Mojang has revealed that Minecraft will be releasing for Xbox One and PlayStation 4 in August. The developers had previously announced that they were looking to bring the game to next generation consoles sometime this year, but have now given official confirmation.
The game was released on Xbox 360 in 2012 and a PlayStation 3 release followed in 2013. Both we scaled down versions of the main game, featuring much of the same content but in a smaller world map.
The next gen editions of both games feature “significantly bigger worlds” and much larger draw distances, bringing the game closer to its PC counter-part. It will retail on the Xbox Live Marketplace and the PlayStation Network for $19.99.
If you’ve bought Minecraft on a predecessor console then you will be able to simply upgrade rather than buy the full edition. Xbox 360 owners can upgrade to the Xbox One version for $4.99 while PlayStation 3 owners can also do the same on the PlayStation 4 for the same price. The upgrade deal will be available to players for at least a year according to Mojang.
As well as being able to upgrade across platforms you will also be able to transfer your save to your new console. However you can’t transfer any saves backwards. The developer noted that transferring content to a bigger world was relatively easy but shrinking worlds to work on older consoles provided too many issues.
Most of the DLC skin packs you have bought should also work on newer consoles, however some will not due to licensing issues beyond the developer’s control.
In addition to the next generation announcement Mojang also revealed that the PlayStation 3 + Vita edition of the game will also release in August on the PlayStation Network. It allows players to play the game and share content between the PlayStation 3 and PS Vita with easy –to-transfer saves. If you already own the PlayStation 3 version you will automatically get the Vita version for free.