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Minecraft Adventure mode coming in update 1.8, game launch delayed by a week
Mojang Studio's next update to Minecraft, 1.7, promises the addition of pistons (seriously!), thus allowing for the creation of mechanical objects. Rather than include it as planned in the 1.8 update alongside Adventure mode, creative lead Markus "Notch" Persson and partner Jens Bergentsen instead chose to drop it in with a handful of bug fixes in 1.7. No solid release date is given for 1.7 (or 1.8 for that matter), but the former will be released "soon" while the latter "might be a long wait." Persson also notes that, after update 1.8 is released in the coming months (Adventure mode and all), the team at Mojang will "start crunching for the full release," though it seems that the official launch may not make its intended November 11 date. "The release date is almost certainly changed to sometime the week after 11/11/11, and we're working hard on setting that up," Persson explains. And following that, after years of laboring on Minecraft, Persson and Co. get some much needed vacation time. After that? "I'll start working on the first post-release update," he adds with a grinning emoticon.
LulzSec doffs its gray hat, your games are safe (for now)
Lulzsec, the anonymous anti-security task force responsible for hacking Sony Pictures, Nintendo, EVE Online, Minecraft, and The Escapist, announced today that its 50-day tour of internet pillaging has come to an end. In a press release posted on The Pirate Bay, the team of six hackers used confusing metaphors about Hitler and cats (seriously) to justify their attacks, citing the "chaotic thrill of entertainment and anarchy" as their main motivation. While the group claims that they had always planned to call it quits after 50 days, we think this retreat has more to do with the British arrest of 19-year-old Ryan Cleary. Lulzsec's six hackers hope that their "movement" can continue without them, writing, "Together, united, we can stomp down our common oppressors and imbue ourselves with the power and freedom we deserve." We don't know about you guys, but we can't remember ever feeling oppressed by Super Mario Bros. Peep the full press release after the jump.
Zelda Adventure mod for Minecraft is a full game
We've seen A Link to the Past recreated in Minecraft, but that's baby time frolics compared to what Minecraft forum user Gary520 has done. His mod, Zelda Adventure, is a complete game, which promises over 10 hours of gameplay and countless items from the Zelda universe to play with. There are only five dungeons in the current build, but Gary520 is aiming for eight in the final version -- the current five are inspired by dungeons in Ocarina of Time and A Link to the Past. You can hit up the source link below to download the mod, but we'd suggest checking out the epic trailer first.
Minecraft for Kinect is an XBLA title, ported by 4J Studios
More details have begun to trickle out on Swedish developer Mojang Studios' first Xbox 360 title, a Kinect-enabled port of indie hit Minecraft. Beyond the fact that it'll be some form of indirect port and that an unnamed developer other than Mojang was at the helm, few other details were known, but as Minecraft creative lead Markus "Notch" Persson revealed on his Twitter feed last night, Scottish devs 4J Studios are apparently in charge of this holiday's world-builder. If you, like us, are unfamiliar with 4J, a cursory Wikipedia'ing reveals work on a wealth of ports, not to mention a handful of not-so-well-known original games. Hopefully any worry you have in the studio's confidence is abated by the fact that Notch will remain a game designer on the project, presumably retaining creative oversight.
LulzSec attacks Escapist Magazine, EVE Online, and Minecraft
Hacker group LulzSec, the same group that's attacked Sony and Nintendo in the past, has tweeted that it's committed three distributed denial of service attacks against gaming companies today, bringing down EVE Online's Tranquility server, Minecraft's multiplayer services, and the Escapist Magazine's website. EVE Online's CCP has confirmed both the outage and the attack, the Escapist is unreachable at the moment, and Minecraft creator Notch says that things were down, but supposedly service has been restored. LulzSec hasn't shared a reason for the attacks just yet, but we can only guess it's, as they say, "for teh lulz." Update: The group has gone after Riot Games' League of Legends servers as well. Attempting to log in to the game gives a "server busy" message, though there's no official word from the company yet. Update: Statement from CCP after the break. EVE Online still seems to be down.
Minecraft surpasses 2.5 million in sales, still in beta
Minecraft creator Markus Persson recently announced on Twitter that his game has built up 2.5 million sales. Not bad for a game that won't officially launch for another five months. According to our napkin math, pre-release versions of Minecraft have earned over $33 million for developer Mojang. Minecraft's potential cash flow doesn't end at PC, as a limited version of the title is also planned for Xperia Play, under the moniker Minecraft Pocket Edition, while a console version of the title is also being worked on exclusively for Xbox 360, featuring Kinect and cross-platform functionality with the PC for this winter. While that "won't be a straight port," and will not be developed by Mojang, it still stands to pocket the developer some more money.
Minecraft Pocket Edition on Xperia Play hands-on (video)
Sony Ericsson's Xperia Play is clearly all about gaming, so we weren't surprised to see a fair amount of E3 footage dedicated to the PlayStation Phone. Minecraft was among the 20 odd games on display at the booth, and the version we had a chance to play with happens to look remarkably similar to that demo we saw pop up a couple weeks ago. The game will be exclusive to the Play when it hits online stores in Q3, but there's no word on pricing just let -- though here's to hoping it'll be free. In the demo we played, you select your blocks on the touchscreen -- or you can just cycle through them with the circle and square buttons. You won't find Creepers, crafting, or night mode in this version, but we're still a few months away from the launch, so there's a chance we'll see those features when it's fully baked. You'll need to wait a bit longer before playing on your own device, but check out our hands-on video after the break for a taste of Mojang's pocket-sized Minecraft.%Gallery-125689% Tim Stevens contributed to this report.
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 coming to 360 and Kinect this Winter
Man, Mojang's little indie darling is getting some major mileage with the gaming industry's biggest players. The Microsoft E3 press conference brought the announcement that Minecraft would be making its way to Xbox 360 with some unexplained Kinect support this Winter. No other details were announced, but we're thrilled to punch trees to extract logs using our real hands. Update: Microsoft has announced in a press release that Minecraft will "feature cross-functionality between the PC and Xbox 360 versions."
Sony Ericsson to showcase over 20 new games optimized for Xperia Play
One thing we criticized in our Xperia Play review was the lack of games specifically adapted to the handheld's controls. So it's only fair to mention that a bevy of new titles is on the horizon -- some old, some new, but all optimized for this specific brand of button-mashing. Headline acts include Minecraft (a port we've already seen in action) as well as Rainbow Six: Shadow Vanguard and Battlefield Bad Company 2, both of which have both been accruing headshots on iOS devices for a while now. Hit the PR after the break for the full list of titles, but don't expect much in the way of pricing or availability. Those details will be announced at E3 next week, when the Xperia Play will have to compete for attention against the Sony NGP. Guess we'll patiently have to twiddle our thumbs until it's time to twiddle them with vigor.
The MMO Report: Casey says frak edition
This week's MMO Report is all about Casey's ego. Not one shred of MMO news bullied its way onto the show this week, unless you count a story about Battlestar Galactica Online reaching two million subscribers as news. OK, maybe you can count Age of Conan going free-to-play, or maybe the newest Minecraft update is technically news. Perhaps Perfect World Entertainment buying Cryptic Studios would be considered news, too. But let's not forget: The MMO Report is really about Uncle Casey's Mail Bag. So that is exactly what will fill the rest of this post. The Mail Bag this week is all about love, love, and memes. Fans share their love for each other, love for Casey, and love for Morgan Webb. Yes, she's been gone for two weeks, but apparently Casey's manly smell has not ousted the memory of the time Morgan hosted the MMO Report. One fan has not forgotten; he was so inspired that he created a meme about it just to show how much he cared. Jump past the break if you are interested in catching a glimpse of Casey Schreiner's ego. We have the full video ready to go. Maybe you will catch the news that we missed while staring at Casey's incredible beard.
Battlefield: Bad Company 2, Rainbow Six and more announced for Xperia Play
Though much of the future of Sony's Xperia Play smartphone/gaming system still remains shrouded in mystery and indecision, the system's upcoming software catalog was announced by Sony Ericsson earlier today. The announcement was predictably Minecraft-centric (check out some new gameplay footage after the jump!), but there's a few notable newcomers in the list -- namely, Battlefield Bad Company 2 from EA and Tom Clancy's Rainbow 6 Shadow Vanguard from Gameloft. Check out the full list of exclusive titles and Android ports that are headed to the Xperia Play after the jump! We'll try to get our hands on as many of them as we can at E3 next week, though, knowing us, we'll probably just start playing Minecraft the first day we get there, and then look up, and -- oops! -- E3's over.
Minecraft Creeper plush seems like a horrible idea
When seeking out a new plush toy, one looks for overall softness and general adorability. Kittens or puppies, for example, make wonderful plushies. Abject terror, on the other hand, isn't usually associated with most plushies, making this Minecraft Creeper plushie from Arixystix particularly confusing. Then again, as noted on the Arixystix blog, the plushie is roughly the size of a small child, so we imagine its usefulness as a parenting aid would be exceptional. Thankfully for children everywhere, it doesn't appear to be for sale ... yet.
2 Player Productions looking to build player stories into Minecraft film
Has Minecraft changed your life? If so, you probably work at Mojang, and are therefore already in 2 Player Productions' fan-supported documentary, Minecraft: The Story of Mojang. But if you aren't a newly minted Swedish millionaire and still feel that the game had a huge impact on your life, 2PP would like to hear your story. The company put out an open call for fan stories today, for possible inclusion in the film. " They may take it to unexpected places and push the limits of its design; or they may find the game itself changing their lives in unexpected ways." If you believe you have the perfect Minecraft story, and you can tell it in 350 words or fewer, send your tale of awesome times to minecraft@2playerproductions.com.
Minecraft Beta 1.6 released, four bug-fixing patches follow soon after
You've got to admire Minecraft creator Mojang Specifications' unswerving work ethic. The developer launched Beta Update 1.6 for the world-building title yesterday, adding mapmaking, hatches, some new vegetation and multiplayer Nether functionality to the title. Unfortunately, the update also added a handful of nasty bugs and performance problems into the game -- problems which Mojang managed to fix by releasing four subsequent mini-patches in the very same day. You can check out all of the game's latest patch notes after the jump, including patches 1.6.1 through 1.6.4. We suggest reading them in order, like a short story that was really, really frustrating for the author to write.
Minecraft devs dish on upcoming mobile version
Details have begun trickling out from Sweden-based Mojang Studios about the mobile version of Minecraft for iOS and Android. Taking to the comment-fertile grounds of Reddit, developer Jens Bergensten broke down some users' questions about the ongoing project. For starters, he says the "Pocket Edition" of Minecraft "will not synch with the PC version" as the engine has been rebuilt for iOS support. Without stating numbers for iOS, he said that it's running "around 30-35 fps on the Xperia Play." He also confirmed multiplayer support -- "in LAN environments" only, likely meaning WiFi, though "Bluetooth support may come later." Additionally, he says the game will be "exclusive to Xperia Play for a while," before coyly noting that he "can't tell you how long." As for the gameplay experience, Bergentsen only offered that "it is creative mode in a limited world," unsurprisingly citing "performance and memory" as the culprits. As things go around this time of year, we expect to hear more in the coming weeks, as Minecraft will be playable on the Xperia Play at E3.
Minecraft iOS debut set for after Sony Xperia launch
Back in February we told you that the popular Mojang sandbox game Minecraft would be making its official debut on iOS later this year (there had previously been an unofficial Minecraft for iOS). While it's still on schedule to debut for iOS in 2011, today Gamasutra broke the news that Minecraft will launch on the Sony Xperia Play first before it comes to other Android and iOS devices. Minecraft originally debuted in 2009 as a Java game and allowed players to build worlds out of colorful cubes. While most traditional video games have invisible walls or visible barriers that restrict where players can go, Minecraft is a sandbox game where players can roam anywhere in the game's world. The Minecraft game released with the Sony Xperia Play will feature controls that work with the handset's physical joysticks, but future Android and iOS versions will only allow for control via touchscreen. There's no word on how similar the game will be to the desktop version, but a Mojang employee told Gamasutra, "When playing on smartphones you will have a different screen size compared to PC, different hardware, different attention spans, and thus the game needs to be customized to fit the mobile specifications." Currently there is no pricing available for the game and no firm release dates, although Mojang is expected to reveal more details at E3 in June.
Enter at Your Own Rift: A case for player housing
Earlier this week we were treated to the news that Trion Worlds is going to offer free character transfers between "select servers" once Update 1.3 hits. Now, how useful this will be is anyone's guess -- as some have noted, this may just be a clever ploy to redistribute the population from high-pop servers to low-pop ones -- but generally it's been met with applause from the community. I remain impressed as a consumer with how fast and aggressive Trion is pumping out content, and the fact that this is a free transfer once per week is really cool considering how most other subscription MMOs charge for a similar "premium" service. Whatever Trion's motive and however it'll play out, I do know this: The company needs to continue to bring the heat to the competition. It's vital that RIFT distinguishes itself from the rest of the pack in some way, whether it be polish, originality, speed, customer service, or innovation. Today I'd like to make a case for what I think should be high up on Trion's development schedule: player housing. We know it's something the devs have discussed, with some very much for and some very much against, but I'm hoping it's gone past the brainstorming phase. Why should we care about what might seem like fluff? How could housing work in RIFT? Tune in after the jump, same Bat-time, same Bat-channel to find out!
Xperia Play first in line for mobile Minecraft port (video)
If you want to be the first in your hood to take Minecraft with you wherever you go, you'll have to pick up an Xperia Play. The block-building game where cubed avatars hide from creepers and create virtual CPUs will land on the so-called PlayStation Phone before coming to other Android devices and iOS later this year. The Play version will have customized controls that take advantage of the gamepad and button layout found on the Sony Ericsson handheld, though when exactly it will launch or how much it will cost is still unknown. It's also unclear how long the title will be exclusive to the gamer-centric smartphone, but developer Mojang will be holding an event at E3 where, presumably, we'll be getting more details. Now is the time to wrap up any loose ends in your life before what little free time you have left gets buried beneath a pile of bricks and mobs -- even when your PC isn't handy. Update: If that pic of Minecraft running on the Xperia Play wasn't doing for you, good news, we've got video of the title in action after the break. [Thanks, stagueve]
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.]
