Joystiq

The first 5 minutes of Star Wars recreated in Minecraft

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 09 May 2013 11:00:00 EST

This is the introduction to Star Wars, done entirely within Minecraft. Warning: Do not watch while eating a Hot Pocket, lest you explode into a supernova of pure nerdiness.

The first 5 minutes of Star Wars recreated in Minecraft originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 09 May 2013 11:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft: Pocket Edition sells 10 million, Mojang plans major additions

Danny Cowan — Wed, 01 May 2013 21:15:00 EST

Mojang announced that the mobile version of its runaway hit, Minecraft, surpassed 10 million units in sales, and revealed that it will add several major features to the game in the coming months.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition's forthcoming updates range from matters of convenience (players will no longer have to exit to the main menu in order to change settings) to experimental additions that, initially, will be available exclusively to players using high-end mobile devices. Once these unnamed features are sufficiently tested, they will be rolled out in another update for all players.

Mojang is also working on Minecraft Realms, a cloud-based multiplayer service that allows players to collaborate on shared projects without needing to be online at the same time. Minecraft Realms will be launched as a subscription-based mode that can be unlocked in Minecraft: Pocket Edition via an in-app purchase.

Mojang hopes to launch its next Minecraft: Pocket Edition update by the end of May.

Minecraft: Pocket Edition sells 10 million, Mojang plans major additions originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 01 May 2013 21:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition for retail in UK on June 28

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 01 May 2013 07:00:00 EST

Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition will dig its way to the UK on June 28 and it'll also include a 48-hour subscription to Xbox Live Gold. The disc-based game includes all the features and content currently found on the XBLA version, and those with an internet connection will also receive the same updates as the digital edition.

The North American disc version of the blocktastic building game was recently delayed from April 30 to June 4. Microsoft has not officially announced any change in plans for the game to also launch in Australia, Hong Kong, India, New Zealand, Singapore and Taiwan during June.

Continue reading Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition for retail in UK on June 28

Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition for retail in UK on June 28 originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 01 May 2013 07:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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BioShock Infinite's Columbia, rebuilt in Minecraft

David Hinkle — Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:30:00 EST

Of course somebody built BioShock Infinite's floating city of Columbia within Minecraft. Sights such as Battleship Bay and vistas of floating skyscrapers are all meticulously recreated in Mojang's sandbox, all available to peruse in one convenient photo album.

BioShock Infinite's Columbia, rebuilt in Minecraft originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 10 Apr 2013 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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0x10c 'on ice' due to creative block

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 06 Apr 2013 16:30:00 EST

0x10c, Mojang co-founder and Minecraft inventor Markus Persson's first-person spaceship management game, has been put on the back burner until the developer can rid himself of a "weird creative block," Persson told Polygon.

"It's just some kind of weird creative block that's been going on for too long," Persson said, "and [0x10c] is going to be put on ice until we can fix that. I'm very excited about the actual game. We have two prototypes going on now. It's not really fun yet, but it feels like it could be fun because there's nothing to do in there yet."

Persson also said that another developer has been brought in to assist with the project and ensure that the game is actually made, regardless of whether Mojang ever actually releases it. Should it prove fun enough to be released, however, a potential launch is still a "ways off."

0x10c 'on ice' due to creative block originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 06 Apr 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft clocks in 10 million PC purchases, dev hints at horses in 1.6

Jessica Conditt — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST

Minecraft (PC) has hit 10M! As promised, a subtle hint on the main 1.6 feature (thanks @ebbakier): imgur.com/qAuCLex :D
- Jens Bergensten (@jeb_) April 4, 2013

Minecraft has sold 10 million copies on PC, Mac and Linux. That puts the world-builder's total sales across PC, XBLA and mobile well over 24 million, and makes it the seventh best-selling PC game ever, says Mojang Customer Support Manager Marc Watson.

To celebrate, developer Jens Bergensten teased a major update coming to version 1.6.
(Spoilers: it's a horse.) Minecraft's Redstone Update, 1.5, hit on March 13, and now it seems Mojang has version 1.6 champing at the bit.

Minecraft clocks in 10 million PC purchases, dev hints at horses in 1.6 originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Apr 2013 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft XBLA Title Update 9 out a day early, which is today

Sinan Kubba — Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:30:00 EST

Minecrafters waiting for 'The End' are in for a treat, as 4J Studios says Title Update 9 is rolling out for the XBLA game "right now." It was expected tomorrow, but the early release means, we suspect, more than a few people's weekends are going to start a day early.

The End, complete with Ender Dragon, isn't the only inclusion in TU9; you can check out the update's change log on the official Minecraft forums.

Minecraft XBLA Title Update 9 out a day early, which is today originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 04 Apr 2013 09:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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April Fools: Minecraft 2.0 is finally coming

Jessica Conditt — Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:00:00 EST

No, it's really not, but in the ridiculous pranking tradition of April Fools Day, Mojang has curated a batch of fan-created trailers for a fictional Minecraft sequel. The videos feature update suggestions from Mojang, including death by chickens, exploding farm animals, floating sheep, horses, a "Hostile" game mode, six new decoration blocks (including Slime) and many more changes, listed here.

Mojang teases that Minecraft 2.0's announcement comes in celebration of the PC series nearing 10 million sales. And no, that one isn't a joke.

April Fools: Minecraft 2.0 is finally coming originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 01 Apr 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mojang's Scrolls beta unravels at 'end of April'

Sinan Kubba — Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST

Minecraft developer Mojang is targeting a late April release for an early PC beta of its next game, Scrolls. Speaking to Polygon in an interview, studio co-founder and game designer Jakob Porser said, "We'll release it early at a discount. With the help from our community, we'll take the game to the next level and see what we want to do and what they expect out of the game and you can work around that."

The digital collectible card game is due on Mac shortly after, and a Linux release is being considered too. The news follows Blizzard's PAX East announcement of its own free-to-play digital CCG, Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft. Porser, however, is philosophical about how that announcement impacts upon Scrolls.

"In the end the consumer gets multiple choices and we have to step our game to try and make the best possible product, the best possible game we can," he told Polygon. "If Blizzard makes the better game, then all credit to them and we need to move on to something else."

Mojang's Scrolls beta unravels at 'end of April' originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 26 Mar 2013 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft Title Update 9 trailer totally has Ender Dragon in it

Alexander Sliwinski — Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:45:00 EST

"The End" is coming to Minecraft for Xbox 360. Here's the trailer for update nine, which will be free when it launches in... um, the realm of soonish?

Minecraft Title Update 9 trailer totally has Ender Dragon in it originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 21 Mar 2013 20:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft Realms subscription service to offer kid-friendly online play

Alexander Sliwinski — Wed, 13 Mar 2013 23:59:00 EST

Minecraft developer Mojang is thinking of the children - or, more accurately, the parents that are tired of setting up servers - with a new service called Minecraft Realms.

"Our costumers [for Realms] are parents who are tired of trying to act as server administrators on behalf of their kids," said Mojang CEO Carl Manneh to it24 (translated by GI.biz). "In the future we aim to offer certain profiles with mods that are certified to work without crashing, but this will still be a safe and easy way for kids and families to play Minecraft online."

With a subscription plan currently estimated at $10 to $15 a month, subscribers will have access to their own self-contained world, with "full control over who has access and their friends list." Minecraft Realms is currently in private alpha, with a "hopeful" beta planned for May.

It was also announced today that the Xbox 360's version of Minecraft will make its way to retail in April. Mojang is so very close to making a corporate headquarters out of diamonds.

Minecraft Realms subscription service to offer kid-friendly online play originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 13 Mar 2013 23:59:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft Redstone Update hits March 13, pre-release out now

Jessica Conditt — Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:30:00 EST

Prepare yourself for the Minecraft Redstone Update, which enables exciting additions such as the Redstone Comparator, a daylight sensor, weighted pressure plate, Nether quartz and ore, more detailed death messages, three settings in smooth lighting, and "many, many bug fixes." Minecraft 1.5, the Redstone Update, hits on Wednesday, March 13.

Update 1.5 provides a number of changes to Minecraft's Redstone, including variable signal strength, the introduction of a new capacitor block with one input and output each, new minecarts and more.

Take a look at the complete pre-release change list below, and grab it directly from Mojang here.

Continue reading Minecraft Redstone Update hits March 13, pre-release out now

Minecraft Redstone Update hits March 13, pre-release out now originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 07 Mar 2013 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft being considered for PlayStation, Wii U probably not happening

Richard Mitchell — Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:30:00 EST

Mojang's ever vigilant effort to lull the entire world into a Minecraft-induced coma continues, with the studio considering even more platforms for the ubiquitous time-sink. Though Minecraft currently has an exclusivity deal on Xbox, Mojang's Jens Bergensten, lead designer on Minecraft, recently told iGamer that the team will consider PlayStation platforms whenever the deal lapses. Those with dreams of a GamePad-enabled Wii U version may be out of luck, however, as he added that a port for Nintendo's console is "very unlikely."

And so Joystiq lives in fear of a possible Vita version of Minecraft, in which we might lose Jess Conditt forever.

Minecraft being considered for PlayStation, Wii U probably not happening originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 05 Mar 2013 14:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Sony completely revises list of PS4 EU studios, down from 53 to 30 [updates]

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 25 Feb 2013 08:15:00 EST

Sony made wholesale corrections to the list of European/PAL companies confirmed as PS4 developers and publishers, reducing the list of named studios from 53 to 28. Curiouser, not one of the developers and publishers named on the previous list makes an appearance on the new roll call. A spokesperson for Sony Computer Entertainment Europe confirmed to us the first list, sent out last week, was erroneous, and this new one is correct. There are no revisions for any other regions.

The new list removes a number of significant names, including Mojang (Minecraft), Rovio (Angry Birds), Frozenbyte, Criterion Games, and City Interactive. In their stead are some new noteworthy studios, such as CD Projekt, who've confirmed The Witcher 3 as a PS4 game. Also included are Bohemia Interactive, Deep Silver, Ninja Theory, IO Interactive, Codemasters, 2K Games, and Sumo Digital. The full list can be found after the break.

We've reached out to a number of studios for comment. Mojang's Daniel Kaplan reiterated to us the comments he gave to Gamasutra, saying his studio hasn't decided anything yet, and that the error is "confusion from Sony's side." Gamasutra's article also confirms Super Crate Box developer Vlambeer and Skulls of the Shogun creator 17-Bit, both included in the original list, as not currently working on anything for the PS4.

A spokesperson for Monsters (probably) Stole My Princess developer Mediatonic, included in the original list but not in the corrected one, told us he couldn't make any comment on his studio and PS4 development. Meanwhile, Sumo Digital's inclusion adds weight to the rumor the British studio is working on LittleBigPlanet 3, but for the PS4. When approached previously about LBP3, a studio representative told Joystiq, "No comment."

Update 1: A spokesperson for 505 Games tells us the Italian company is "definitely" planning to publish games on the PS4. 505 Games was in the original list of European/PAL PS4 developers and publishers, but not the revised list. The spokesperson noted the company's logo appears in the image showcasing PS4 partners, as shown during last week's event, as do many of the names in the revised list.

Update 2: Sony Computer Entertainment Europe informs us the list of European PS4 studios has been further revised. Two more studios are now present in the form of Criterion Games and Ghost Games (an EA studio) - both were in the original list of 53. That takes the tally of confirmed European studios up to 30.

Continue reading Sony completely revises list of PS4 EU studios, down from 53 to 30 [updates]

Sony completely revises list of PS4 EU studios, down from 53 to 30 [updates] originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 25 Feb 2013 08:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mojang's Mojam spawned Nuclear Pizza War, more; donations still open

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 18:00:00 EST

Mojam, the Humble Bundle game jam featuring Minecraft developers at Mojang and a host of their indie friends, is over and the world is nine games richer. Mojam featured three official teams from Mojang and one surprise entry, along with teams from indie developers Grapefrukt, Ludosity, Oxeye Game Studio, Vlambeer and Wolfire Games.

The Mojang teams made Nuclear Pizza War, Endless Nuclear Kittens, Battle Frogs and Nuke the Dinosaurs Blueprint Prototype. Grapefrukt made Tektonic, Ludosity made Space Hunk, Oxeye was responsible for 3918, Vlambeer made Wasteland Kings and Wolfire created Low-light. Check out each of the games here. They will all be available for download "in the near future."

The charities Block to Block and the EFF are richer because of the jam, too: So far Mojam has raised $461,000, all for charity, and donations will stay open until March 2. Anyone who donates gets to play the games these indies made with just four days, some random words and probably a lot of energy drinks.

Mojang's Mojam spawned Nuclear Pizza War, more; donations still open originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 24 Feb 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft 1.5 update hits early March

Mike Suszek — Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:30:00 EST

Minecraft update 1.5 is set to arrive in "early March," according to a Twitter update from Mojang developer Jens Bergensten. To be a bit more exact, Bergensten says the PC update will be live in "roughly two weeks," placing it near the week of March 11.

Known as the Redstone Update, version 1.5 will address the redstone ore, giving it variable signal strength in addition to a new capacitor block. The Redstone Update also fixes the south-east rule glitch.

Minecraft 1.5 update hits early March originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 24 Feb 2013 16:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Humble Bundle Mojam 2: The Mojammening live stream up now

Jessica Conditt — Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:10:00 EST

The second Humble Bundle Mojam charity event is a go, now through Saturday, February 23, streaming live via the Humble Bundle website. Mojang - the developers of Minecraft - have joined forces with indie studios Grapefrukt, Ludosity, Oxeye Game Studio, Vlambeer and Wolfire Games for this year's Mojam, for a total of eight expected games (Mojang is making three). All proceeds from Mojam benefit Block by Block and the Electronic Frontier Foundation charities.

Watching Mojang and the other teams make games is absolutely free, though those interested can throw some money at Humble Bundle and get playable versions of the jam games at the end of it all. Last year's Mojam raised $460,000 for charity.

Fans got to help choose the themes for this year's Mojam, and there's a full list of the teams' assignments here. Mojang's three games, for example, are based on themes of French Nuclear Spaceship, Endless Nuclear Kittens and Nuclear Pizza War.

Humble Bundle Mojam 2: The Mojammening live stream up now originally appeared on Joystiq on Wed, 20 Feb 2013 17:10:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mojang's Mojam starts tomorrow, choose the theme today

Jessica Conditt — Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:45:00 EST

The developers at Mojang, creators of Minecraft, are splitting into two teams and banging out a lineup of complete games in three days for Mojam, from tomorrow at 12 p.m. ET to Saturday at 6 p.m. ET. Six additional indie developers will be on hand to help Mojang make some games: Grapefrukt, Ludosity, Oxeye Game Studio, Vlambeer and Wolfire Games.

Mojang will livestream Mojam, and viewers will be able to donate to the charities Block by Block and the EFF. Those who donate will be able to play the final games and any builds that pop up during the jam, and donating more than the average enters those people into exclusive raffles. The previous Humble Bundle Mojam raised $460,000 for charity.

For now, vote for your favorite two words that will inspire the Mojam creations, from a list including "Dinosaur," "Envelope," "French," "Malarkey," "Pizza," "Squashy," "Triangulation," and terrifyingly, "Docking."

Mojang's Mojam starts tomorrow, choose the theme today originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 19 Feb 2013 21:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft Pi Edition is available now for free consumption

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:00:00 EST

The miniature $35 Raspberry Pi computer, as pictured above, can play Minecraft as of today, satiating the three-month wait of eager Pi users. Mojang's buildamajig is available to download from the game's Rasperberry Pi blog, with instructions there for how to set it up.

The Pi Edition, as it's dubbed, supports multiple programming languages, and can be yours for a grand total of zip, nada, and niente i.e. it's free.

Minecraft Pi Edition is available now for free consumption originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 11 Feb 2013 10:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Mojang revenue hits $237 million in 2012

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:00:00 EST

We already knew that 2012 was a particularly legit year for Minecraft maker Mojang, what with its principle product being purchased over 15 million times and everything, but now we have a better idea of what success like that translates to in dollars. Well, technically in krona and then translated again into dollars, but whatever.

Overall, Mojang's revenue for 2012 tallied up at SEK 1.5 billion, or $237.84 million at current exchange rates, according to GamesIndustry's translation of Swedish publication IT24. Nearly half of that revenue (SEK 640 million/$101.48 million) was derived from the collection of license fees. Meanwhile, pre-tax profits were reported at SEK 580 million ($91.96 million), although no post-taxes/net income figures were provided.

One of Mojang's biggest hurdles is the non-universal nature of its online payment system, CEO Carl Manneh told IT24: "We have so many markets where we are not very strong yet," he said, "where many play Minecraft but few have bought it simply because you can't use our online payment solution there. That's something we'll get our hands to during 2013."

Mojang revenue hits $237 million in 2012 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 02 Feb 2013 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft Creepers (sorta) invade Awesomenauts

Jordan Mallory — Thu, 24 Jan 2013 02:30:00 EST

Look, Creepers are dangerous enough on their own - people don't need to be going around giving them powered suits of armor like Ronimo Games has done in its latest Awesomenauts update, which is now live on Steam. Well, technically it's not a Creeper, but rather a Creeper skin for existing 'naut Clunk. Still, creepers shouldn't have a role model like this to look up to.

The Creeper Clunk skin can only be acquired by finding someone wearing it in-game and killing them, thus becoming "infected" with it. Since the skin can't be bought or obtained otherwise, we expect that equipping it will be somewhat akin to painting a giant bullseye on your chest. Which is how it should be, honestly, since all Creepers deserve to die.

All Creepers deserve to die.

Gallery: Awesomenauts (Creeper Clunk)

Minecraft Creepers (sorta) invade Awesomenauts originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 24 Jan 2013 02:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft PC sales reach 9M units, franchise at 20M

Alexander Sliwinski — Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:45:00 EST

Minecraft's PC version has sold over 9,000,000 copies. The word comes from Minecraft developer Jens Bergensten, who believes the total sales for the game across all platforms is somewhere around 20 million units.

Bergensten also noted that in terms of pacing, Minecraft Pocket Edition has stamina, with over 5 million units sold last year. This week the diminutive edition's total is at 7.3 million units and "not slowing down."

Minecraft PC sales reach 9M units, franchise at 20M originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 22 Jan 2013 08:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft purchased over 15 million times across 2012

Sinan Kubba — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:45:00 EST

Last year saw a total of more than 15 million purchases of Minecraft across all platforms, with Pocket Edition the leader at just under 5.9 million across iOS and Android. As if we needed any more proof of the blocky sandbox's success, Mojang published concrete figures for last year's sales, demonstrating just how prolific 2012 was for its franchise.

In addition to Pocket Edition, there were just under 4.2 million purchases of Minecraft on PC and Mac in 2012, and just over 5 million on Xbox Live Arcade. This is only speculation since it assumes all purchases were made at particular prices, but based on the games' current North American prices our supercomputer reckons Mojang's figures translate into a whopping $254 million of revenue, just from sales of the games alone.

Even if those figures are a little off, this video link feels entirely justified.

Minecraft purchased over 15 million times across 2012 originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 11 Jan 2013 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft XBLA closes out the year by reaching 5 million sales milestone

Sinan Kubba — Thu, 03 Jan 2013 08:00:00 EST

Minecraft dug deep on New Year's Eve to reach 5 million sales on Xbox Live Arcade before the close of 2012. The news is maybe not surprising given the franchise's prolificacy across the board over the last 12 months, including 453,000 sales on Christmas Day alone, but the achievement still represents a momentous way for developers 4J Studios and Mojang to see in the new year.

Not that there's time for 4J Studios to rest on any laurels, as the team is off its festive break and back at work remedying some of the problems encountered with Title Update 7. The developer says a bug-fixing patch is being released later this month.

Minecraft XBLA closes out the year by reaching 5 million sales milestone originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 03 Jan 2013 08:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft franchise sells 453K units on Christmas

Richard Mitchell — Fri, 28 Dec 2012 20:30:00 EST

It's Christmas, the presents have been opened, turkey and ham consumed - it's the midday lull. What to do? If you're like over 400,000 other people, you buy whatever version of Minecraft is handy. Across all available platforms, Minecraft sold 453,000 copies on December 25, according to the block maestro himself, Markus "Notch" Persson.

Be careful folks, that's not a festive, green holiday decoration - it's a Creeper.

Minecraft franchise sells 453K units on Christmas originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 28 Dec 2012 20:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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2 Player Productions uploads 'Minecraft: The Story of Mojang' to The Pirate Bay

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 19:30:00 EST

So, you know how the Minecraft documentary Minecraft: The Story of Mojang premiers on Xbox Live today, and will be available for purchase on DVD tomorrow? Well, that world premier just become a bit less exclusive, as 2 Player Productions has uploaded its film to controversial torrenting destination The Pirate Bay.

"We wanted to come here first because we knew the movie would end up here eventually," the listing reads, "and the best thing to do seemed to be opening a dialogue. Torrents and piracy are a way of life and it probably won't be going anywhere anytime soon. There are many people that want to punish you for that, but we have a more realistic outlook on things."

2 Player Productions goes on to urge torrent-folk to at least "consider" supporting its operations by purchasing the film, either digitally or on DVD: "We're just three guys trying to make a living doing what we love. We love the world of video games, and we love making it real. If you buy the movie, you support those efforts. The reason we Kickstarted this movie in the first place was that we didn't have enough money to make it ourselves, and even then, we still put A LOT of our own money into it."

2 Player Productions uploads 'Minecraft: The Story of Mojang' to The Pirate Bay originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 22 Dec 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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'MineThon 2' Minecraft marathon for Child's Play now mining, crafting

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 15:00:00 EST

To quote the greatest Christmas movie of all time, "It's not the giving, it's not the getting, it's the loving." But, sometimes loving is giving, especially when you don't expect anything in return. To wit, a group of Minecraft enthusiasts are giving up the next 72 hours of their lives in the hope that you might give up your dollars to Child's Play.

MineThon 2 runs from now until 2 p.m. Eastern time on Monday, December 24, and until then the group of five volunteers will be mining and crafting around the clock, occasionally stopping to host auctions, contests and raffles, perform skits and to interview guests of interest to the greater Minecraft community.

Charitable folks who donate $10 or more are white listed to play on the same server as the MineThon crew, while dropping $15 or more grants server bonuses like call commands and faster queuing. All of the proceeds collected go directly to Child's Play. To watch the event's live stream and/or donate, click here.

'MineThon 2' Minecraft marathon for Child's Play now mining, crafting originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 22 Dec 2012 15:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft: The Story of Mojang hits DVD December 23

David Hinkle — Sat, 22 Dec 2012 02:00:00 EST

On December 23, Minecraft fans will get their chance to pick up a DVD copy of 2 Player Productions' documentary, Minecraft: The Story of Mojang. This follows its debut on your Xbox 360 this Saturday, December 22.

The DVD will be on sale through Fangamer for $20, with the first 7,000 copies coming wrapped in a custom "dirt brown" case, and including a reversible cover and a code for a free download of the film in 720p HD. Otherwise, you can hit up the official site on Sunday and stream or purchase from there. But after you're done, get back to playing Minecraft proper - that massive lava tower isn't going to build itself.

Continue reading Minecraft: The Story of Mojang hits DVD December 23

Minecraft: The Story of Mojang hits DVD December 23 originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 22 Dec 2012 02:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft documentary world premiere on Xbox Live, Dec. 22

Jessica Conditt — Mon, 17 Dec 2012 19:30:00 EST

Minecraft: The Story of Mojang, a documentary from 2 Player Productions, will premiere on Saturday, December 22, on Xbox Live for Gold members in the US, UK, Ireland, Belgium, Portugal, Austria, France, Finland and Sweden. The documentary, strangely enough, tells the tale of Mojang founder Markus "Notch" Persson as he rises to indie fame with the development of Minecraft. It will air at 8 p.m. EST in the US and 8 p.m. CET in Europe on Saturday.

The documentary secured funding through Kickstarter, raising $210,000 of a requested $150,000 in March 2011. 2 Player Productions isn't new to the video game documentary world, having produced films for Double Fine, a chiptune documentary called Reformat the Planet, and more. Check out the launch trailer for Minecraft: The Story of Mojang above and click the Minecraft tile on your Xbox Live dashboard for viewing times in your area.

With Indie Game: The Movie and now this, gaming has officially entered the realm of sans-serif white letters and Sundance hipster chic. Good job, everyone.

Minecraft documentary world premiere on Xbox Live, Dec. 22 originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 17 Dec 2012 19:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft Pocket Edition sales up to 5M, franchise sales over 17.5M

Sinan Kubba — Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:45:00 EST

Minecraft Pocket Edition sales are now over 5 million, proving the iOS and Android versions are anything but lagging behind their XBLA and PC siblings. Mojang's Johan Bernhardsson revealed the figure this morning, which now sees sales across all Minecraft games at over 17.5 million at least.

Pocket Edition is missing a lot of what's included in the XBLA and PC versions, which is of course not surprising given the platforms. Nonetheless, one of the biggest and most asked-for absentees is online multiplayer - users can play together via local Wi-Fi, but not through the Internet. According to Bernhardsson, online multiplayer is now in the works.

It won't however feature in the next update, which would be 0.5.1. That's being targeted for late January/early February and mostly features "behind the scenes" fixes and tweaks.

Minecraft Pocket Edition sales up to 5M, franchise sales over 17.5M originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 13 Dec 2012 10:45:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft 1.4.6 to add fireworks and enchanted tomes before Christmas

Jordan Mallory — Sat, 08 Dec 2012 12:00:00 EST

While Minecraft's upcoming January update version 1.5 churns away in the cauldrons of Mojang's most diligently studious wizards, a smaller update (version 1.4.6) is being coded in parallel for release sometime before Christmas.

Available to more adventurous adventurers now as Snapshot 12w49a, version 1.4.6 adds the ability to craft fireworks and enchanted books that can then be used to enchant items. Various bug fixes are also bundled with the patch, tough the Snapshot version of 1.4.6 is not itself guaranteed to be bug free.

The most important part of all of this, however, is that skulls can be added to the firework formula in order to make them look like Creepers when they explode, which is ironic and wonderful, as seen above.

Minecraft 1.4.6 to add fireworks and enchanted tomes before Christmas originally appeared on Joystiq on Sat, 08 Dec 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Report: Minecraft XBLA selling between 40K and 60K units a week

David Hinkle — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 20:00:00 EST

The Xbox Live Arcade version of Minecraft is selling at a good clip, shifting between 40,000 and 60,000 copies a week - it's just below Call of Duty: Black Ops 2 and Halo 4 in the weekly Xbox Live activity charts. As of November's end, total XBLA sales are at 4,476,904.

This is data according to Mojang itself, as reported by Gamasutra. This would indicate the Xbox Live Arcade port has exceeded half the total sales of the PC version, which reached the eight million mark back in the middle of November. Minecraft version 1.5 will be released in January.

Report: Minecraft XBLA selling between 40K and 60K units a week originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 06 Dec 2012 20:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft collection on Threadless explodes with 10 new shirt designs

Jessica Conditt — Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:15:00 EST

Threadless now has 10 shirts in its brand-new Minecraft collection, with most available for guys, gals, babies and kids. Each shirt is a winner of the Threadless Loves Minecraft design challenge, which offered the three top artists $3,000, a $500 Threadless voucher and a trip to MineCon Paris.

Each of the Minecraft shirts has its own brand of charm, such as Love Bomb, which features a lovesick, cartoonish Creeper courting a box of TNT, and Attack of the Giant Creeper!, a retro Hollywood homage. All shirts are $19.50 for adult sizes.

Minecraft collection on Threadless explodes with 10 new shirt designs originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 29 Nov 2012 14:15:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft Reality AR app takes your game from the screen to the streets

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 22:30:00 EST

The Minecraft Reality app for iOS devices tracks the living world around you and then places your Minecraft creations directly into it, to scale and in cool, augmented reality 3D. The video above does a better job of demonstrating how this turns out than we could with flimsy words.

Minecraft Reality is developed by 13th Lab, with the blessing of Minecraft developer Mojang. On top of checking out your creations alone, Minecraft Reality allows you to save them in specific locations for others to look at, at their leisure. The app runs $2 on the App Store and is universal, though optimized for iPhone 5.

We expect to see a range of blocky Gundams, Pokemon characters and, of course, a deluge of dicks in our real-world spaces soon. We know you so well.

Minecraft Reality AR app takes your game from the screen to the streets originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 25 Nov 2012 22:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft 1.5 Redstone Update chips away a January 2013 launch

Jessica Conditt — Sun, 25 Nov 2012 17:00:00 EST

The Minecraft 1.5 update for PC, titled the Redstone Update, is due to hit in 2013 and mainly addresses - wait for it - redstone ore. The update gives redstone variable signal strength and introduces a new capacitor block with one input and one output. Combining these two objects creates weighted pressure plates and pressure-sensitive detector rails, among other items, Gamespot reports.

The Redstone Update brings improved minecarts, including special tracks to unload unwanted livestock and an option to link carts together. The update also adds a daylight detector that can be hooked up to a capacitor to create a solar-panel-type device, a new ore based in the Nether that can be used in capacitors, and fireworks for New Year's Eve. Whether this means 1.5 will hit on New Year's Eve remains to be seen.

Mojang is also fixing a few bugs, including the south-east rule. The south-east rule is a glitch that affects some objects based on their compass coordinates, causing them to gather, generally, in the southeast quadrant of an area. This fix may impact some designs that exploit the south-east rule.

The Redstone Update is the first in a series of single-feature-focused updates. Mojang plans to launch one of these every two months.

Minecraft 1.5 Redstone Update chips away a January 2013 launch originally appeared on Joystiq on Sun, 25 Nov 2012 17:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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FigurePrints now immortalizing your Minecraft world with real-world replicas

David Hinkle — Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:30:00 EST

Ed Fries is a former VP of publishing at Microsoft, Ouya advisor and the creator of Halo 2600 - he's got quite the resume. He also founded FigurePrints, a company known for making real-life recreations of your in-game content, like statues modeled after World of Warcraft avatars. Now FigurePrints is recreating Minecraft worlds.

If you're interested, you'll first want to install FigurePrints' world exporter, compatible with Windows Vista, Windows 7 and Windows XP. Once you've installed the exporter, you can select a portion of your MineCraft PC world and upload it to FigurePrints where its artists will re-create your lovingly-crafted game world into a physical model. Then you only need to place your order and wait impatiently for the box to hit your doorstep. As for price, FingerPrints says "replicas of Minecraft worlds significantly vary in cost," based on the size of the area recreated.

FigurePrints now immortalizing your Minecraft world with real-world replicas originally appeared on Joystiq on Tue, 13 Nov 2012 21:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft PC sales up to 8 million

Sinan Kubba — Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:30:00 EST

Minecraft continues to unearth new players, with its PC version now up to over 8 million sales. Mojang owner Markus 'Notch' Persson revealed the milestone on Twitter, which comes almost three months to the day his game broke the 7 million barrier.

With sales of the XBLA version now over 4 million, our maths bods tell us Minecraft can now boast over 12 million sales on PC and Xbox, at least. That's excluding the Pocket editions, which collectively are into seven figures too.

If you haven't yet got that lots of people play Minecraft, you should know it recently toppled Modern Warfare 3 as the most played game on Xbox Live. Of course, a certain other Call of Duty may have something to say about that in the very near future.

Minecraft PC sales up to 8 million originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 12 Nov 2012 10:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft overtakes Modern Warfare 3 for most played on Xbox Live

Richard Mitchell — Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST

If you've yet to truly grasp the power of Minecraft, let this just sink in: Minecraft is now more popular than Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3 on Xbox Live. According to the latest Xbox Live activity report from Major Nelson, Minecraft was the most popular game on the service for the week of October 15.

That puts it above Modern Warfare 3, which now sits at number 2. It also makes it more popular than several other huge names, including FIFA 13, Black Ops, Halo: Reach and Battlefield 3. The only other Arcade game to even break the top twenty is the recently launched Happy Wars, Xbox Live Arcade's first free-to-play game.

If you took a break from Minecraft to read this post, feel free to return to chopping down trees, building roller coasters or whatever you were doing.

Minecraft overtakes Modern Warfare 3 for most played on Xbox Live originally appeared on Joystiq on Thu, 25 Oct 2012 12:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Latest 0x10c test footage adds a second player into the mix

David Hinkle — Mon, 22 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EST

Markus "Notch" Persson continues his video series documenting development on his new space sim, 0x10c. Today's video update focuses on multiplayer, showing off "base functionality" in an environment populated by two players.

They shoot each other with laser guns to no avail in the video above but, hey, it is only test footage of an extremely early build. It's kinda Notch's new thing - this latest test video follows last week's update, which focused on player bobbing, lighting and gun implementation.

Latest 0x10c test footage adds a second player into the mix originally appeared on Joystiq on Mon, 22 Oct 2012 18:00:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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Minecraft 1.4 pre-release now available, public update next week

Sinan Kubba — Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:30:00 EST

Minecraft 1.4, AKA the Pretty Scary Update, arrives on October 24. Until then, the 1.4 pre-release is available now for download on developer Mojang's site. Remember, this isn't the public update, so if you'd rather avoid the risk of installing-at-your-own-risk then you only have to wait five more days.

The Pretty Scary Update brings with it a namesake amount of changes and additions, including a Wither Boss, Witch creature, direct access to server mods, anvils for repairing and combining items, and a whole lot more on top. The Minecraft Wiki has a thorough tab on what's popped up in prior snapshots, and so offers an extensive look at what players can expect from 1.4.

Minecraft 1.4 pre-release now available, public update next week originally appeared on Joystiq on Fri, 19 Oct 2012 13:30:00 EST. Please see our terms for use of feeds.

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