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'Minecraft Earth' early access comes to the UK and 8 other countries
Minecraft Earth's early access release is finally rolling out to countries around the world, although it's not necessarily available where you might expect it. Mojang and Microsoft have confirmed that the augmented reality game is now available on Android and iOS in nine countries. The UK is the most recent addition, but it's also been available for a few days in Australia, Canada, Iceland, Mexico, New Zealand, the Philippines, South Korea and Sweden.
'Minecraft Earth' launches in early access this October
Minecraft Earth won't be stuck in beta testing for much longer. Mojang and Microsoft have revealed that the augmented reality game will be available in "early access" for some countries starting in October. It didn't say which countries or platforms would be included, but the beta has included both Android and iOS users.
'Minecraft' adds a character creator option
Minecraft players are getting more control over how their avatar looks. The latest beta build includes a character creator option that'll let you tweak the body shape, skin tone, hairstyle and color, facial hair and eyes. You'll be able to pick from more than 100 free items, and others created by the Minecraft team will be available to buy.
'Minecraft' now has 112 million monthly players
Fortnite might still have the lion's share of public attention, but that doesn't mean it's hurting the other gaming phenomenon. Microsoft's Helen Chiang told Business Insider in an interview that Minecraft now has 112 million active players every month, a surge of 20 million over figures from October 2018. This includes players across all platforms, including those who play the game as part of an Xbox Game Pass, but that's still no small achievement for a game that has been around in some form for roughly a decade.
'Minecraft Earth' beta is available on Android -- in five cities
Right on time, the beta test for Microsoft's augmented reality Minecraft game is ready for Android users to give it a try. Just like the beta iOS users have had access to, Minecraft Earth is still invite-only for registered testers and available in just five cities: Mexico City, London, Tokyo, Seattle and Stockholm. According to those who are already in, if you're having trouble with the invite email then try clicking the link included from your mobile device instead of on a PC.
'Minecraft Earth' beta brings AR building to Android next week
Don't worry, Android fans -- if you've been wondering when you can try the augmented reality experience of Minecraft Earth, you don't have too much longer to wait. Mojang and Microsoft have revealed that the Minecraft Earth beta will reach Google-powered devices sometime next week. It's encouraging users to sign up to get their earliest possible shot at playing.
NVIDIA ray-tracing on 'Minecraft' looks surprisingly cool
Minecraft's blocky world might be the last place you'd think would need more realism. However, NVIDIA and Microsoft have announced that they've done exactly that, bringing RTX ray-tracing powers to the ever-popular game. "In normal Minecraft, a block of gold just appears yellow," said Minecraft's Saxs Persson, "but with ray tracing turned on, you really get to see the specular highlight, you get to see the reflection, you can even see a mob reflected in it."
'Minecraft' wont get that huge graphics overhaul after all
Minecraft's big Super Duper Graphics Pack is no more after two years of delays. Mojang has cancelled the visual overhaul after deciding that it was "too technically demanding" to implement. The developers "aren't happy" with the upgrade's performance across platforms, and chose to axe the project rather than offer inconsistent quality.
The 'Minecraft Earth' beta begins its global takeover this month
It's been a couple of months since we first heard about Minecraft Earth, the augmented reality version of Mojang's game that makes the real world a playscape full of your blocky creations. It promised a beta release of the game would arrive this summer and now, along with a new trailer, the company says it will launch on iOS within the next two weeks, with Android following "soon thereafter."
Stop saying 'Minecraft Earth' is essentially 'Pokémon Go'
Minecraft Earth is a mobile AR game, but that doesn't mean it's Pokémon Go. Yes, it uses a mobile device. Yes, it superimposes digital objects on the physical landscape -- but that's just the definition of AR. Many stories and conversations about Minecraft Earth immediately compare it to Pokémon Go, describing it in terms of what's different or what's similar to Niantic's creature-collecting game. It'd be like contrasting The Life Aquatic with Billy Madison just because they're both shot with a camera and play out on a screen, but one happened to come out first. Pokémon Go and Minecraft Earth are vastly different experiences from the ground-up.
Microsoft teases 'Minecraft' AR for your phone
Microsoft has something big in store for Minecraft fans. The company used the start of Build 2019 to offer a teaser for an augmented reality Minecraft experience for phones. The clip doesn't say much about what the experience entails, although it's safe to say you won't be building entire virtual worlds in your neighborhood -- the limitations of the real world will likely dictate what you can do.
The delayed 'Minecraft' movie is now set for March 2022
The long-delayed live-action Minecraft movie has a new release date, so fans might want to make a note in their calendars for March 4th, 2022. With so many delays, it was clear it'd still be a while yet before the film hits theatres, but the 2022 news might come as a disappointment to those who were at one point expecting to see Minecraft next month.
Microsoft pulls 'Minecraft' for Apple TV due to low demand
You probably didn't have a hankering to build Minecraft worlds on your Apple TV, and Microsoft has quietly acknowledged that reality. The company recently started notifying players that it had stopped updating and supporting the Apple TV version of the game on September 24th in order to "reallocate resources to the platforms that our players use the most." To phrase it differently, there weren't enough people playing to justify the investment. The game will continue to work, including Marketplace purchases, but you won't see new features. It's not available in the App Store, either.
Meet 'Minecraft: Dungeons,' an adventure game with online co-op
The new game from Mojang answers the eternal question, what if Minecraft and Gauntlet had a baby? Minecraft: Dungeons is a brand-new game inspired by classic dungeon crawlers like Wizardry and Ultima Underworld, and it turns the series' traditional formula on its head. Instead of providing a vast, open canvas where players can let their imaginations run wild, Dungeons is an adventure game filled with discrete quests, characters, items and enemies. It still looks like classic Minecraft fare, complete with cube-headed characters and 3D swords with jagged, pixelated blades.
'Minecraft' movie delayed amid director changes
Were you eagerly awaiting Minecraft movie's May 2019 release? You'll need to make a change of plans. Director and co-writer Rob McElhenney has informed TheWrap that the originally slated debut is "not happening" as he's leaving the project. It's not clear why he's departing or who will replace him as director. However, Warner Bros. is asking Aaron and Adam Nee (both working on Masters of the Universe) to draft a new script.
Mojang card game 'Scrolls' reborn as 'Caller's Bane'
When Scrolls was hit by a Bethesda lawsuit and its online servers died an ugly death, the future of Mojang's collectible card game was looking rather grim. But Scrolls is still alive, and it's just been rebranded as 'Caller's Bane'. Unlike before, it now costs nothing to play.
Microsoft taps 'Minecraft' leader to run its game studios
Now that Phil Spencer is managing Microsoft's broader game platform strategy, who's going to fill his shoes? Now we know: Microsoft has appointed Matt Booty, the overseer of the company's Minecraft teams, as the corporate VP of Microsoft Studios. He'll watch over all of Microsoft's own game publishing efforts, including Halo's 343 Industries, Gears of War's The Coalition and Forza's Turn 10. This isn't just about handing over the keys, though -- as Spencer explained to VentureBeat, it's also about improving the company's first-party game business.
The best Xbox One games
The Xbox One has come a long way since its 2013 debut. Microsoft has fixed the console's hardware flaws with the One S and the recently released One X, but now it has a different problem to address: a dearth of compelling games you can't play anywhere else. In recent years the company has relied on timed third-party exclusives that eventually make their way to other platforms or are also available on Windows and Steam. It happens on PS4 as well, but the difference there is that Sony has a wide assortment of games that you can only play on its console. That's not to say there aren't exclusive games worth playing on Xbox; it's just that they're buried among annual Forza racing games, middling modern Halo releases and the testosterone-fueled Gears of War franchise. Microsoft has promised to break out of that predictable release cadence, though, so the future could be brighter than you may have come to expect. As it stands, these are the best Xbox One games you can play right now.
'Minecraft' now livestreams building sessions directly to Mixer
A large part of Minecraft's allure is showing off your work. And now, it should be relatively easy to do that in real time. Mojang has released an update that lets you livestream directly to Microsoft Mixer (its parent company's service, naturally) from within the game on Android devices, Windows 10 PCs and Xbox One consoles. If you've just finished recreating an entire country, you can take people on a live tour without starting a broadcast in a separate app or service first. And your audience doesn't have to simply watch, either.
Giant 'Minecraft' graphics upgrade delayed to 2018
The Minecraft team had a bunch of news at their MineCon Earth convention, but the biggest news may be what's not happening. Mojang and Microsoft have delayed the launches of both the Super Duper Graphics Pack and cross-platform Switch multiplayer to sometime in 2018. They're not elaborating on the reasons behind the delay, but in both cases the features simply aren't finished. More information on the graphics delay is coming "soon," according to the creators.
