As part of March 12’s Inside Xbox broadcast, Microsoft announced the next Xbox Game Pass title–and it is a very big one. Microsoft’s open-ended sandbox game, Minecraft, will be added into the Xbox Game Pass library on Xbox One starting on April 4.
The game has 91 million monthly players, making it bigger than Fortnite, and one of Microsoft’s biggest games ever. Launching on Xbox Game Pass means Minecraft will reach even more people, as anyone with an Xbox Game Pass subscription can play at no extra cost. Microsoft also mentioned that Minecraft’s release into the Xbox Game Pass catalog expands the lineup of family-friendly games further.
Microsoft acquired the Minecraft franchise and developer Mojang in 2014 for $2.5 billion. The game is available on Microsoft’s console and mobile platforms, as well as systems from competing companies like PlayStation and Nintendo.
While Microsoft has no plans to make Minecraft 2, the franchise expands in 2019 with a new game called Minecraft Dungeons, which doesn’t have the franchise’s trademark building mechanics. Outside of games, a Minecraft movie is in the works.
Xbox Game Pass is Microsoft’s subscription service for Xbox One. For $10 USD/month, subscribers get access to a growing library of Xbox One games and backwards-compatible Xbox 360 titles. In addition to legacy titles, all of Microsoft’s first-party exclusives are included with Xbox Game Pass, meaning members can get this year’s Gears 5 and Halo Infinite whenever it comes out at no extra cost.
“Minecraft” is coming to Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft announced during an Inside Xbox broadcast on Tuesday. It will be available on the subscription-based streaming service starting on Apr. 4.
It probably shouldn’t come as a surprise that “Minecraft” is landing on the pass. The game is hugely popular. Since its launch on PC in 2009, it’s attracted over 91 million players worldwide. It’s reportedly the second best-selling video game of all time behind “Tetris.” It’s also been ported to practically every platform you can think of — 20 total — spanning consoles, mobile, and more.
Xbox Game Pass players will get access to the full game and its large library of downloadable content via the Minecraft Marketplace. They will also get the same free updates as other versions, including the upcoming Village & Pillage patch set to arrive later this spring.
Xbox Game Pass launched on Xbox One in 2017 and offers a library of over 100 streaming titles for $10/month. Square Enix’s open-world action adventure game “Just Cause 4” arrived there last month (a mere three months after launch), along with “Fallout 4,” “Lego Batman 2: DC Super Heroes,” and “F1 2018.”
The subscription service is currently available for Xbox One and Windows 10 PCs, although rumor is that Microsoft is looking to bring the service to the Nintendo Switch as well. While Xbox head Phil Spencer said the company is still committed to the traditional home console, it also wants to reach a wider audience and sees services like Xbox Game Pass and Project xCloud as opportunities to achieve that goal.
How do you convince gamers that they’re getting their money’s worth from a $500+ graphics card? Nvidia’s latest technique is pretty smart — it’s taking real-time ray tracing, an eye-popping if barely adopted feature previously exclusive to its pricey new RTX-series graphics cards, and bringing it to a whole bunch of older Nvidia GTX-series GPUs that can’t ray trace to save their lives.
I’m partly joking. It’s pretty cool that I’ll soon be able to try out some “basic” DirectX Raytracing with my nearly three-year-old Nvidia GeForce GTX 1080 GPU! Here are the other graphics cards and chips that should be able to take advantage with a driver update this April:
But seriously: Nvidia’s blog post seems explicitly designed to show that only the most expensive RTX-series GPUs can remotely approach 60fps framerates in modern games with ray tracing enabled.
Just look at the company’s comparisons charts for a few popular games with ray tracing enabled — and note that the “best case scenario” on the right requires DLSS, another feature that’s still exclusive to the pricier RTX series GPUs. GRID VIEW
The GTX 1080 Ti is among the most powerful of the last-gen cards — and it’s struggling even with a Core i9 processor to help it shoulder the load.
Nvidia chalks up the differences not to exclusive features, mind you, but the actual design of these chips. The RTX-series GPUs simply have cores that the GTX ones don’t, including RT cores designed for ray tracing and Tensor cores for machine learning that help enable DLSS.
But I don’t think that’ll keep Nvidia rival AMD from making fun of this move, though. AMD said last November that it wouldn’t implement DirectX Raytracing (the version that Nvidia is now enabling here) until it could make ray tracing a standard feature across its product line. Those words felt defensive then, but they make a lot more sense now.
Honestly, we’re pretty bullish on ray tracing long-term… but with some of the first promised games just barely getting support months after the graphics cards debuted, it’s very early days for the technology.
Microsoft is bringing its popular Minecraft title to Xbox Game Pass next month. The software maker is releasing Minecraft as part of the monthly Xbox Game Pass subscription on April 4th, adding to the more than 100 games that Xbox players can access. While many Xbox players probably already own a copy of Minecraft, its addition to the Xbox Game Pass subscription will still help Microsoft on its mission to convince Xbox owners to subscribe.
Microsoft has been aggressively pushing its Xbox Game Pass subscription in recent months, and the first month is just $1 instead of the regular $9.99. For the monthly charge, you can download and install more than 100 games, including Microsoft’s latest first-party games like Crackdown 3, Sea of Thieves, and Forza Horizon 4. Microsoft has committed to launching all of its own games on Xbox Game Pass at the same time as they hit stores, meaning Halo Infinite, the next Gears of War, and additional Forza titles will all come to Xbox Game Pass.
Alongside Xbox Game Pass, Microsoft is also developing its xCloud game-streaming serviceso it can offer its entire subscription on multiple devices. xCloud will work across PCs, Macs, and mobile devices like iOS and Android. Microsoft is now planning to run xCloud trials later this year.
The exponential growth for the Minecraft Marketplace is due to a number of factors. The Minecraft Team is releasing more free promotional content. This includes items such as the Catastrophic Pandamonium world, which Marketplace creator GameMode One built in partnership with Microsoft.
Catastrophic Pandamonium is a free download that highlights the Minecraft’s updated cat and panda creatures. Of December’s 10.87 million downloads, Catastrophic Pandamonium represented more than 4 million of those.
In addition to the free content, the Minecraft Marketplace is benefiting from timing and improved features. December is one of the biggest times of the year for live-service games. People who get new smartphones, consoles, or PCs for the gift-giving holidays return to something like Minecraft or to try it for the first time. And with better search and promotional features, The Minecraft Team has turned its Marketplace into a major attraction.
Catastrophic Pandamonium by Gamemode One: “Welcome to the Minecraft Preserve, a sanctuary for the mobs of Minecraft. Your dream job is about to become a nightmare when you realize the pandas are missing!”
Winter Gifts Bundle by Minecraft: “Whether you were naughty or nice this year (hopefully nice!), this bundle is our holiday gift to you! Last winter, we gave away amazing skins, worlds and adventures from some of your favorite Marketplace community creators. And now you can download them all again in this bundle of Winter Wonders!”
Minecraft Texture Update Beta by Minecraft: “The extraordinary Minecraft Texture Update has been on the Java Edition in beta for quite a while, and now it’s finally on Bedrock! We’re renovating the old textures of Minecraft and polishing them up for a new beginning. Don’t panic! This won’t completely overhaul the look of Minecraft — these new textures just give it a much-needed update!
Inspiration Island by Minecraft: “Visit Inspiration Island, a floating theme park world filled with creative challenges. Whether you are new to Creative Mode or just need a little extra inspiration, a visit here sets you on the path to craft your own groundbreaking worlds.”
Purple Parrot Party Place by Minecraft: “A celebration of all things purple parrot party and palace! Master the mechanics of fireworks, armor stands, jukeboxes, and banners. Traverse a jungle island to find a massive parrot temple.”
Legacy Skin Pack by Minecraft: “Get cracking with these starter skins and old favorites brought over from Minecraft editions of yore.”
Grid Runners by Noxcrew: “Take on Noxcrew’s Grid Runners: a mini-game map made up of classic Minecraft challenges where you can craft, mine and jump your way to victory. Compete against the clock for the fastest times and team up with all of your friends to find out who is the ultimate Minecraft champion! This is a free map, created exclusively for Minecon Earth 2018.”
ABSTRACTION: Minecon Earth by Jigarbov Productions: “Featuring the logos that were just begging to be played on, MINECON EARTH has floating landmasses with a surprising amount of hidden secrets and challenges.”
Luxury Life by PixelHeads: “Luxury Life is a world where you role-play life as a billionaire. Cruise the streets in a sports car or any of the 10 other vehicles, explore luxurious mansions and decorate with furniture!”
Aquatic Life by Cyclone Designs: “Get ready for a realistic aquarium experience with Aquatic Life! Dive into large tanks and swim with whale sharks! Discover dangerous shark species and hop on a boat and feed the Piranhas!”
Luxury Life by PixelHeads: “Luxury Life is a world where you role-play life as a billionaire. Cruise the streets in a sports car or any of the 10 other vehicles, explore luxurious mansions and decorate with furniture!”
The Nightmare Before Christmas by Minecraft: “A nightmare? Before Christmas? Enjoy this themed pack by Minecraft.”
City Mash-Up by Everbloom Studios: “With over 1,000 hand-detailed rooms, there are stories, secrets, and mini-games around every corner. Build with the city’s full texture pack in your own worlds or take on any role you can imagine!”
Aquatic Life by Cyclone Designs: “Get ready for a realistic aquarium experience with Aquatic Life! Dive into large tanks and swim with whale sharks! Discover dangerous shark species and hop on a boat and feed the Piranhas!”
CampCraft by Blockworks: “A vast wilderness awaits you and your friends in CampCraft. Discover forest animals, ride camper vans, toast marshmallows, sit around the campfire and set up your own camp!”
City Life by PixelHeads: “Cruise through the big city in City Life! Chase down a bandit in your police car, save the day as a firefighter or take your dog for a walk.”
Spooky Pizza Place by InPvP: “Do you dare to enter? Try to survive all of the waves with five custom monsters. Includes pizzeria and surrounding buildings.”
Immersion: Chicago by Shapescape: “Immerse yourself in Chicago, the windy city. Visit the river with your friends, race through the streets and roleplay your daily life.”
Super Cute Texture Pack by Minecraft: “The Super Cute Texture Pack lets you create a cheerful world full of the cutest and cuddliest mobs! Bouncing bunnies, ultra-adorable unicorns, brilliant bumblebees and, er, burgers? Yes, burgers! This texture pack comes with 15 skins.”
Millionaire Mansions by Noxcrew: “Explore a town filled with beautiful mansions, sports cars, and a new toolset to help you design your dream house. Noxcrew’s Creative Toolbox is perfect for roleplay or building with your friends.”
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