Markus-Persson
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Minecraft on 360 'won't be a straight port,' not developed by Mojang
Never one to shy away from community interaction, Mojang head Markus "Notch" Persson answered fan questions yesterday about the just announced Minecraft on Xbox 360. While he'll remain attached to the project as a game designer, the port is being handled by a separate, unnamed console dev. Notch notes "the programmers have done several console games before," but adds that he can't reveal what studio it is just yet. He also revealed it "won't be a straight port, though it's unclear what that means just yet. He also spoke to the Kinect functionality, saying the game is of course playable without the motion peripheral, but "with the power of Kinect you will feel closer to your game than evar [sic] and it also saves kittens." Kittens! While we aren't sure that he's being entirely genuine with that final statement, we're just gonna take the statement at face value. We really like kittens, after all.
Minecraft digging in on Xperia Play before other Android devices
Mojang Studios today revealed to Gamasutra that its world-building, zombie-avoiding, indie hit, Minecraft, will be heading exclusively to Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play before other Android-enabled devices. Perhaps better known as the "PlayStation Phone," the Xperia Play is the first Ericsson phone to come equipped with Sony's "PlayStation Suite" service -- a service thus far used only as a delivery mechanism for PS1 ports. The studio didn't announce how long the game will remain an exclusive to the Xperia Play, or if it would arrive at the same time on iOS devices. According to a Mojang representative, the Xperia Play version will have customized controls for the phone's PlayStation-style controller layout. The rep also hinted at the nature of the release, saying it'll fall in line with the studio's previous "release early and update frequently" model. Given the previously announced "2011" release window for the mobile version of Minecraft, and the studio's upcoming "Minecraft-themed media event" at E3, we expect to hear much more in the next few weeks. [Update: Developer Markus Persson just tweeted the above image, writing, "This is the project Aron and Jens are working on."] [Update 2: Via Engadget we've even got a video of the game running on an Xperia Play which you'll find ... you guessed it! After the break.]
Minecraft creator gauging interest in Vegas convention for game's launch
Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson wants to measure your interest in attending a Las Vegas MinecraftCon. Persson has posted a poll on his blog to do so and, as of this writing, the "No, definitely not!" crowd makes up 45 percent of respondents, with 23 percent answering in the affirmative. Persson posits on his blog that the MinecraftCon could be held in Vegas for the game's launch of November 11. He'd push out the "final release" live on stage, and there would be costume contests, speed building contests and Q&A sessions. He says the con would "probably" cost $90 per person, excluding hotel room and travel costs. If you're interested in adding your voice to the idea, head on over to The Word of Notch and vote.
Around the world in eight days: A journey in Wurm Online, part one
Wurm Online is a unique MMO. I can't think of many other games that allow the freedom of Wurm, which may be why I still consider it my favorite online game to this date. For anyone who hasn't tried the game or heard me yammer on about it on the Massively Speaking podcast, I'll explain the basics. Wurm Online is a sandbox game created to allow players unbelievable freedom. If you've played Minecraft, you have the basic premise of Wurm, but multiply that experience by about 100. In fact, Markus "Notch" Persson was the co-founder and co-creator of Wurm before moving on to Minecraft and world fame. Wurm Online starts you off as a fairly inanimate and uncustomizable character whose goal is to simply build. Find a spot of unclaimed land, throw down a settlement token, and build to your heart's content. You cut down trees for wood, mine stone for ore, forage and fish for food, and use it all to create the world that lives within your imagination.
Minecraft has earned over $33 million, Notch reveals
Let that soak in: $33 million. All those dollars, slightly eroded by Paypal fees and taxes, come from around 800,000 alpha version adopters, who picked up the game at €9.95 ($14.26), and over one million beta version sales at €14.95 ($21.43). Currently, the Minecraft stats page lists 1,813,527 customers, pegging revenue at slightly above €23 million ($33 million). The figures come from a Reddit thread, where Minecraft creator Markus Persson (AKA Notch) shared the figures -- a level of success he admitted he's somewhat uncomfortable with. "I've always had a tendency to feel like I'm just not quite keeping up with demands, even before starting work on Minecraft. It's not gotten better by having a runaway hit like this." The latest update for the game, version 1.4, launched last week, adding a host of new features to the game. A documentary is also in the works.
Minecraft beta 1.4 goes live, adds wolves, cookies and a new logo
Mojang's world-designing blockbuster Minecraft received a rather eccentric mix of new additions today with the launch of beta 1.4. As promised, wolves can now be encountered and tamed in your homespun world -- however, a less-advertised part of the update is the addition of cookies. What do these cookies do? We're not entirely sure, but we'd recommend keeping them away from your pet wolves. Those little bastards will eat the cookies right out of your hand. Other changes include the ability to reset your spawn point by sleeping in a bed, a fresh new logo (pictured above), and a few infrastructure tweaks to prepare for the arrival of achievements. Check out the full list of updates after the jump!
Molyneux: 'Minecraft's the best thing I've played in the last ten years'
Is Markus Persson's blocky world-builder pretty much your favorite thing on the earth, right up there with blue cotton candy and baby laughter? You're among some pretty prestigious company -- in a recent interview with IGN, gaming industry titan Peter Molyneux sung the praises of Minecraft, even going so far as to say, "I think Minecraft's the best thing I've played in the last ten years." Molyneux added that he appreciated the solo efforts of Persson, saying, "he did everything on his own, and I think how brilliant and inspirational that is, to not need the full force of publishers and marketing people." That's not all -- we hear Persson developed the entire game while astride the back of a gallant steed while holding an eagle in each hand. Now that's inspirational.
Minecraft for iOS confirmed, the hunt resumes for free time to squander
You know all of that time you've been wasting on Angry Birds HD? Looks like your flying friends may have company when it comes time to, um... kill time, as Markus Persson has confirmed to Gamasutra that an iOS port is "in the works." That means that an official Minecraft build will soon pop up in Apple's App Store, with iPhone and iPad versions hinted at. Aron Neiminen, a new recruit to the Mojang team, is responsible for the port, and if all goes well, it'll be let loose later in the year. Persson also confirmed that the iOS version won't receive every update that the original browser / download versions get, but that it'll be "granted features that make sense for the touchscreen platform." Raise your hand below if you're giddy beyond control. Update: Video's after the break! Thanks, Cooper. Update 2: The video after the break is not the official game, but it is a pretty impressive third-party client. Unfortunately, it's also been pulled from the App Store.
Minecraft documentary gets a 20 minute preview, needs you to chip in for the finished product
Do you love Minecraft? Wait, don't answer. We know the answer. Well, we know how you feel -- and so do the folks at 2 Player Productions, the documentarians that brought you the extra-special chiptune film, Reformat the Planet. The scrappy team of filmmakers has once again gone back to work, this time focusing their attentions on the gaming phenomenon and its creator, Markus "Notch" Persson, in a project entitled Minecraft: The Story of Mojang. 2 Player has taken its project to the streets (and by streets we mean internet) by posting a 20 minute teaser of the forthcoming documentary, and asking for funding via Kickstarter. Just think, you could be your very own Hollywood mogul. There are all kinds of goodies for those who lay down the cash; for instance, if you pledge more than $2,500, you'll get an actual pick axe mounted on a stand signed by the Mojang team. And for $10,000? You get an Executive Producer credit and your own profile page on IMDB. The project is aiming for $150,000 of funding, and has already scored $22,048 (at the time this article was written) with 32 days to go. If you were serious about what you said earlier when it comes to Minecraft, you owe it to yourself to put your money where your virtual mouth is. You can also take a look at a teaser clip after the break -- and that won't cost you a dime.
Block mesa plays Portal's 'Still Alive' in Minecraft
This is a triumph: Using the musical blocks introduced in the latest version of indie world-builder Minecraft, YouTube user Tritex989 has managed to re-create Portal's theme song, "Still Alive," in its entirety -- minus some notes and with some transposing, due to the blocks' two-octave limitation.
Minecraft dispensers rigged to exchange cake for death
Need some inspiration for exciting applications of Minecraft's recently added Dispenser block? Why not use it to distribute delicious cakes to hungry adventurers? Also, why not hook up that cake machine to a ten-story-tall wall of flaming arrow cannons? Watch the video below for a deadly demo.
Minecraft becomes a million-seller
As of the writing of this post, the Minecraft stats page shows that 1,000,049 people have purchased Markus "Notch" Persson's indie construction sensation -- 31.5 percent of all of the registered players. The total currently doesn't count unredeemed gift codes, either, of which there are probably more than a few in this post-hoiiday season. That's an awful lot of copies sold of a game that just hit beta. Conversely, that's an awful lot of people willing to pay money to alpha- or beta-test a game. If you'd like to get in on this phenomenon on the ground floor (and then build the rest of the floors out of stone cubes), it's still on sale for €14.95, a 25% discount active for the duration of the beta.
Minecraft enters beta, nears 850K units sold
Indie game sensation Minecraft has now entered ... beta. Consequently, the "pre-purchase" price has been raised from €9.95 to €14.95 ($19 and change). Once completed and "released," Minecraft will retail for €20 and -- if history is any indication -- will go on sale through Steam the following week for $5 (okay, maybe it'll be a month later). This past weekend, in the last stretch of its alpha phase, Minecraft surpassed 800,000 unit sales, and the game is approaching 850K as you read this. At this rate, it could easily surpass the million-sold mark before Persson and company craft a gold master.
Minecraft to enter Beta phase Dec. 20, modder support coming in future updates
Our little procedurally-generated, co-operative world-building indie gem is growing up so fast -- Minecraft creator Markus Persson has announced on his blog that his super successful title will enter its Beta phase on December 20. The change will be reflected by "a larger focus on polish and content," and will add oft-requested elements like modder support, more late-game goals and "some kind of non-intrusive narrative." Thank goodness -- we've had to create our own narrative up 'til now, and it makes absolutely no sense. (Those pigs -- they have a dark secret.) Look sharp, though -- Persson explained that when the game goes into its Beta phase, he'll be removing the section in the game's license which "promises all future versions of the game for free." Don't worry: If you purchased the game while still in the Alpha phase, you'll still get future updates on the house. In addition, the game's price will be increased to €14.95 once it enters Beta, so it really pays to get in on the ground floor while you still can.
Mr. Minecraft is a god in Super Meat Boy
With players barreling through the PC version of Super Meat Boy, Minecraft's main character ("Steve") has been discovered to be ... more or less omnipotent. You could say he breaks the game ... or you could say he's totally boss. We're going with the latter.
Hardcore mode coming to Minecraft, the world ends when you die
Some madman over at PC Gamer has been trying out something called the "Minecraft Experiment," in which player death results in the immediate deletion of the world he or she has been working so hard to spruce up. The game's creator, Markus Persson recently posted on his blog that the feature series has inspired him to include a similar "Hardcore" mode in the game, where the world will be destroyed and reset every time the player gets killed by a Creeper, skeleton, gravity or any of the other deadly forces present in the game. Look, we have a hard enough time rationalizing the remarkable amounts of time we put into this game already. To play a mode where, with one missed jump, entire weeks of our lives are erased, Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind-style? That's straight-up masochism, dudes.
Minecraft's in-game CPU now available to download
If we were to wager a guess, we'd say the only way to really understand how that in-game CPU someone made in Minecraft operates is to actually get deep down in there and take a look through its gullyworks. Fortunately, thanks to the generosity of its creator, you can now do just that.
Minecraft surpasses 500K sales, Persson explains how he did it
According to the official Minecraft stats page, more than 500,000 of the nearly 1.6 million registered players have already purchased a license for the game, which is still in the alpha phase of development. That's pretty much unprecedented in the history of game development -- certainly indie game development -- and perhaps only comparable to a big-budget marketing effort; one that might secure those kinda pre-release purchase numbers through pre-orders and offer a limited "beta" trial of the game through a highly-controlled channel. So, yeah, Minecraft's "alpha stage" success is unprecedented. Is it just luck? The one-man mastermind behind it all, Markus Perrson, doesn't think so. "I think originality and easy access is much more important than luck," he told Develop in a recent interview. "If you make a game that's genuinely good, and it's relatively unique, you can get a lot potential customers. If you make sure they don't have to jump through too many loops to play or even pay for the game, you can convert those into actual customers." Currently, almost 60 percent of Minecraft users are playing for free.
Minecraft Halloween update previewed, new evils revealed
Oh, man. We're still a good week and some change away from the highly anticipated Halloween update for Minecraft, but we're already filled with raw, seething hate for the creatures depicted above. They're called "Ghasts," and they're a new type of enemy which only appears in the new hell-like dimension which players can fast-travel through using homemade obsidian portals, where the red rocks which compose the floor, walls and ceiling can burn eternally. Sounds just delightful, doesn't it? PC Gamer recently checked out the new area -- and its hovering, flame-spitting inhabitants -- in an early preview. If you want to be prepared for the Ghasts' particularly unpleasant form of attack, we suggest you start doing your research.
Minecraft character digging into Super Meat Boy PC
Need another reason to re-buy Super Meat Boy? Neither did we -- we have plenty already, thanks -- but apparently the forthcoming PC iteration includes another bonus character: Minecraft's main man. A Destructoid tipster spotted Team Meat's Twitter account putting Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson on the spot, asking, "How's about you let us use Mr. Minecraft as a playable charater in the PC version?" The ever affable and accommodating Persson responded in turn, saying, "Permission hereby granted!" Persson also noted that he needs to "add meat blocks" to Minecraft. While you're at it, may we also suggest heat-seeking missiles, enormous buzz saws, and piles of epidermic needles? Thanks!
