For the first time since the original “Minecraft,” the series is getting a new entry.

It’s not a sequel — the game is named “Minecraft: Dungeons,” and it’s a dungeon crawler along the lines of “Diablo.”

“Minecraft: Dungeons” is scheduled to arrive on PC in 2019. It’s not clear when it will come to other platforms.

For the first time since “Minecraft” arrived in 2011, a new entry in the series is in the works from the same studio that created the original. It’s named “Minecraft: Dungeons” — it was revealed on Saturday during an annual “Minecraft” live broadcast known as Minecon Earth 2018.

From what we’ve seen so far, it looks like a very “Minecraft-y” version of beloved classics like “Diablo.” It sounds lke that, too!

“Dungeons” is described as, “an all-new action-adventure game inspired by classic dungeon crawlers,” in its announcement. Alone, or with a group of up to four friends, you’ll tackle, “a ruthless swarm of new-and-nasty mobs” in a variety of locations: “canyons, swamps and — of course — mines.”

Minecraft Dungeons
Like other dungeon crawlers, “Minecraft: Dungeons” appears to feature different classes of character to choose from — from a warrior to a mage, and everything in between. Mojang/Microsoft Studios
The game is said to be a passion project for the folks at Mojang — the Swedish studio that was founded to create the original “Minecraft.” It’s the first of several new initiatives within Mojang aimed at expanding the universe of “Minecraft.”

Unlike “Minecraft,” the focus in “Minecraft: Dungeons” is action.

“We wanted to focus on making sure that we made the dungeon crawler part as good as possible,” Mojang creative lead Jens Bergentsen told me in a phone interview last week.

To that end, don’t expect to see a lot of the usual mining and crafting.

“I would say that it’s a distilled version of ‘Minecraft,'” Bergentsen said. “Building in the game is something that we’ve talked about a lot, but we were concerned that it would distract from what the game was about. So in ‘Minecraft Dungeons,’ it’s strictly an adventure game with a story attached to it.”

The game is scheduled to arrive on PC first in 2019 — a beta will precede its arrival, but don’t expect anything like the soft launch “Minecraft” had. “Minecraft: Dungeons” is getting a relatively standard beta before a “traditional” release, we’re told.

Check out the game’s debut trailer right here:

This week’s Xbox Live Deals With Gold have begun trickling in, and there are a number of great deals on titles offered by WB Games.

For instance, Batman; Arkham Knight and Batman: Return To Arkham are available for dirt cheap, which means you can enjoy the full Rocksteady Studios trilogy for a swell deal.

On top of that, several Lego video games are also marked down, including the latest release, Lego The Incredibles, as well as classic favorites like Lego Batman 3, Lego Marvel’s Avengers, Lego Jurassic World and several more. And you can snag Grand Theft Auto V for cheap, too!

The sale prices are good between now and October 2nd at 6 AM EDT, so you’ve got time to do some serious shopping and add games to your library. Let’s take a look at the deals that are on hand!

Adventure Time: Pirates of the Enchiridion- $29.99
Beast Quest- $12.00
Ben 10- $15.00
Defunct- $4.49
Divinity Original Sin: Enhanced Edition- $10.00
I, Zombie- $2.67
Lords of the Fallen Digital Complete Edition- $7.50
Mega Man Legacy Collection- $6.00
Mega Man Legacy Collection 2- $11.99
Mega Man Legacy Collection 1 + 2 Combo Pack- $15.00
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2- $8.00
Plants vs. Zombies: Garden Warfare 2 Deluxe Edition- $10.00
Red Faction Guerrilla Re-Mars-tered- $22.49
Road Rage- $9.00
Rock of Ages 2: Bigger and Boulder- $7.50
Shiny- $7.50
Slain: Back From Hell- $6.00
Sniper Ghost Warrior 3 Season Pass Edition- $16.00
The Coma: Recut- $7.50
The Golf Club 2- $12.00
The Golf Club 2019 Featuring PGA Tour- $37.49
The Surge- $10.00
Transcripted- $4.70
Valkyria Revolution- $26.79
Vampyr- $40.19
Warhammer Bundle: Mordheim and Blood Bowl 2- $16.50
Bastion- $7.50
Batman: Arkham Knight- $10.00
Batman: Arkham Knight Premium Edition- $20.00
Batman: Return To Arkham- $10.00
Cars 3: Driven To Win- $20.00
Dying Light- $14.99
Dying Light: The Following Enhanced Edition- $20.09
Grand Theft Auto V- $19.49
Grand Theft Auto V + Great White Shark Cash Card- $32.49
Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition- $32.99
Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition + Great White Shark Card Bundle- $40.00
Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition + Whale Shark Card Bundle- $55.00
Grand Theft Auto V: Premium Online Edition + Megalodon Shark Card BUndle- $80.00
Hyper Sentinel- $10.04
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham- $11.99
Lego Batman 3: Beyond Gotham Deluxe Edition- $17.50
Lego City Undercover- $15.00
Lego Jurassic World- $10.00
Lego Marvel Super Heroes- $8.00
Lego Marvel Super Heroes Bundle- $24.00
Lego Marvel Super Heroes Deluxe Bundle- $30.00
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2- $24.00
Lego Marvel Super Heroes 2 Deluxe Edition- $30.00
Lego Marvel’s Avengers- $10.00
Lego Marvel’s Avengers Deluxe Edition- $12.00
Lego Movies Game Bundle- $20.00
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens- $10.00
Lego Star Wars: The Force Awakens Deluxe Edition- $12.00
Lego The Incredibles- $41.99
Lego Worlds- $20.99
Mad Max- $8.00
Middle-Earth: Shadow of Mordor Game of the Year Edition- $8.00
Middle-Earth: Shadow of War- $24.99
Mortal Kombat XL- $10.00
Scribblenauts Showdown- $20.00
The Elder Scrolls Online- $10.00
The Elder Scrolls Online Collection- $40.00
The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset- $23.99
The Elder Scrolls Online: Summerset Collector’s Edition- $35.99
The Lego Movie Videogame- $10.00
The Lego Ninjago Movie Video Game- $25.00
The Surge- $10.00
Hurry up and get these great deals while you can!

At this point, there are some of you that finally beat Spider-Man on PlayStation 4. Not 100 percent yet, mind you (save for a few of you), but at least gotten through the story. So you’re probably wondering…what’s next? Well, besides the DLC that will start debuting next month, there’s also a fun side story that’s coming to the comics as well — and we’ve got a first look at which way this version of Spider-Man will be going in this particular universe.

Marvel has released some teaser images for Spider-Geddon #0, which is set to make its debut on newsstands and comic book stores starting September 26, introducing this Spider-Man to this particular world.

The first few pages have an interesting story to tell, penned by writer Christos Gage, alongside Jed MacKay, and artistically created by Clayton Crain, Javier Garron and Israel Silva. You can see all the pages below, but here’s the quick lowdown:

Spidey begins by swinging through the city, listening to J. Jonah Jameson’s latest podcast (to a point, anyway), before Mary Jane decides to give him a call. She explains that some sort of maniac is tearing his way through the city, and the hero goes to confront him.

It turns out to be none other than the Tarantula, who lets loose with a number of mechanical appendages, threatening to crush Spidey underneath them.

After making a joke about copyright infringement, Spidey tries to find a way to stop Tarantula, only to find his webs are ineffective with his electrical shielding. However, he’s able to finally subdue him with the help of a web bomb, leaving him tied up for the police.

But then things get really interesting, as another Spider-Man suddenly appears from another dimension, addressing him as Spider-Man of Earth 1048. He tells him that “he is needed,” in which he’s thrown for a loop. And that’s where the tease comes to an end. Check out the first few pages below!

You can read the rest of the story for yourself in just a few days, so be sure to pre-order your copy when you get a chance!

Spider-Man is available now for PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 4 Pro.

In case you missed it, yesterday, out of nowhere, Telltale Games — the team behind The Walking Dead, The Wolf Among Us, Tales from the Borderlands, Batman, and more — announced its closure.

Details around the shuttering are still quite scarce — and much of what we do know is unofficial — but Telltale has confirmed that all that is left of its once 250-plus studio is a skeleton crew of 25 that will remain “to fulfill the company’s obligations to its board and partners.”

At the time, it was believed that such obligations would include finishing the ongoing, and last, season of The Walking Dead, which premiered last month. However, reports have since come out that claim the 25 developers left are actually working on Minecraft: Story Mode — which is being made in collaboration with Netflix — and that The Walking Dead: The Final Season has been cancelled. And these reports are further validated by Netflix confirming that Minecraft: Story Mode will not be impacted by the studio closing.

The whole situation is very confusing, and hopefully, further elucidation will arrive in the coming days from Telltale, who said it would soon provide an update on what the closure specifically means for its portfolio.

But the confusion doesn’t end there: people are perplexed about why the studio is closing in the first place. And part of this is because the studio’s considerable size and its involvement in huge IP gave off the aura of nothing but the greenest of pastures.

Telltale was founded in 2004, but it wasn’t a household name in the gaming community until 2012, when it released The Walking Dead, a game that would go on to be not only a critical success, but a commercial one. To this day, it is considered one of the best games of last-generation, as well as one of the most impactful.

Not only did The Walking Dead put Telltale on the map, allow it to scale rapidly, and tackle some of the biggest IP in entertainment, it brought back the adventure genre, which was a ghost before 2012. Granted it was with a Telltale-style twist, but it helped paved the way for many games in the forgotten genre to since release.

With all of this in mind, it’s easy to understand why some are confused and dumbfoundead about the studio’s sudden closure. But according to a new report, it’s quite clear why it closed: it wasn’t making money on any of its games.

According to Joe Parlock, a contributor at Forbes, who cites an inside, anonymous source, only season one of The Walking Dead and Minecraft made money for Telltale, everything else, especially Batman, was a failure.

Apparently, only Minecraft: Story Mode and 7 Days to Die were making a profit. The rest was investor money and the netflix deal, which dried up.

According to the source, Batman t a n k e d and was one of the worst commercial failures for Telltale.

Basically, only the first season of The Walking Dead made money. Everything between that and Minecraft was a financial failure – Wolf, everything post-Season 1 of TWD, Borderlands, Game of Thrones. All failures.

As always, all reports should be taken with a grain of salt, after all, the only thing you can really ever take to the bank is official confirmation. However, it’s obvious something had to go wrong, and that some games had to fail in order for Telltale to shutter like this.

And it’s not very hard to consider that after The Walking Dead season one, none of Telltale’s games — besides Minecraft: Story Mode — were successful for the studio. Not Wolf Among Us, not Game of Thrones, not even Batman, ever could generate the same type of critical and larger mainstream commercial buzz that Clementine and Lee did eight years ago.

Streaming content leader Netflix (NFLX) punched higher in soft trade Monday, easily leading its FANG stock peers and climbing further up the right side of a developing base pattern.

The gain came despite news from video content developer Telltale Games on Friday that it was paring back to a skeleton crew, preparing to fulfill certain obligations before shutting its doors for good. Loss of the developer for content tied to such high-profile series as “Walking Dead” (AMC) and “Game of Thrones” (HBO), and films including “Guardians of the Galaxy” (Marvel Studios) rattled the industry.

A statement from Netflix said its “Minecraft: Story Mode” title, under contract to Telltale, “is still moving forward as planned.” Industry news sources reported that plans for Telltale to develop Netflix’ “Stranger Things” interactive series had been scrapped.

Netflix grew up around renting movie DVDs, delivered by mail to subscribers’ homes. It was among the very first major names to dive full-flung into online video streaming services. And as the industry has shifted toward higher-quality original content, Netflix has duked it out with AT&T’s (T) HBO and Amazon.com (AMZN) for creative precedence.

Minecraft: A More Mature Interactive Series
The “Minecraft: Story Mode” project with Telltale reveals another advance in creative content. It reportedly aims to develop a five-episode narrative feature allowing users to “choose-their-own-adventure” path through the series. Netflix had previously developed and launched several similar series based on children’s titles, including “Stretch Armstrong”, “Puss In Boots” and “Buddy Thunderstruck.”

Although not really games, the series use gamelike programming to offer “branching points,” at which users can make choices from optional plot lines through which the protagonist will move forward. This provides users multiple optional narrative adventures from each branching point.

The Telltale shutdown gives a sense of how challenging and talent-consuming the new medium might be. Despite its high-profile contract wins, the company apparently still could not remain afloat.

The “Minecraft: Story Mode” and “Stranger Things” deals with Telltale appeared to be Netflix’ first efforts to present the interactive storytelling technique to a slightly more mature audience.

In an interview with IndieWire in May, Netflix writer Kevin Burke said Netflix’ interactive efforts have grown increasingly complex, offering more options at each branching point, requiring multiple layers of writing, and of animated footage.

“Your experience could be from, I believe it’s like 13, 14 minutes is your shortest way to get to an ending, and I think it goes up to about 44 or 45 minutes to play the longest path connecting. And then there’s a lot of variations in between that,” Burke told IndieWire.

Netflix’ New “Diablo” Series Builds On Castlevania Success
In another video game-related angle, on Friday, Variety reported that Netflix was also fattening up its original content lineup by developing a series based on Activision Blizzard’s (ATVI) successful video game “Diablo.” The hack-n-slash video game is on its third edition, “Diablo III.”

The project will be Netflix’ second series based on a video game. It is just preparing to release the second season of the vampire thriller “Castlevania”, a game developed by Japan’s Konami Holdings. The Netflix release is scheduled for Oct. 27.

The 2.3% advance of Netflix shares Monday hauled the stock about 4% above its 50-day moving average. That put it a bit less than 20% off its Aug. 20 low, and above the midpoint of the left side of a developing base pattern.

Netflix has been battling to hold support at its 10-week line since mid-September. Monday’s move, like the other two advances in that struggle, came in very weak volume. That is part of the reason the stock’s Up/Down Volume Ratio has slipped to a subpar rating below 1.0.

Fortunately, all of the losses since mid-September have also occurred in weak trade. That suggests institutional investors are neither selling nor buying, but waiting for the stock to find its direction.

Netflix’ Accumulation/Distribution Rating corroborates that reading, holding at a better-than-average B-. This suggests institutions are holding steady, but not exiting the stock.

One of the most infuential and popular videogames of all time is headed to the comic store. Dark Horse Comics, Mojang AB and Microsoft are teaming up for a “multi-project publishing partnership” focused on Minecraft. The first offering? A series of Minecraft graphic novels, set for release next summer. Scroll down for an exclusive first look at Minecraft Volume One.

Here’s what we know about the story of the upcoming comic so far, courtesy of Dark Horse: “In Minecraft Volume One, everyday kid Tyler’s life is changed when his family moves away from the town he’s always known. Thankfully, Tyler has a strong group of friends forever linked in the world of Minecraft! Tyler, along with his friends Evan, Candace, Tobi and Grace, have gone on countless adventures together across the expanses of the overworld and are in need of a new challenge. They decide to go on the Ultimate Quest—to travel to the End and face off against the ender dragon!”

“We are very excited at the prospect of bringing Minecraft to comics,” said Dark Horse President and Founder Mike Richardson of the partnership. “The world of Minecraft is vast with countless stories to tell. We look forward to working with the great people at Mojang AB and Microsoft to bring these stories to its enormous fan base.”

Since its release in November 2011, Minecraft has sold 144 million copies across all platforms, making it the second best-selling video game of all time. (Tetris remains the king of the hill.) Nearly seven years on, the Minecraft fandom is going strong, with more than 75 million fans playing the game every month. “We can’t wait to follow the incredible imaginations that Dark Horse’s comic creators will bring to the world of Minecraft,” said Lydia Winters, Chief Brand Officer of Mojang AB, said of the collaboration.

Minecraft Volume One will feature the work of writer Sfé R. Monster (The Beyond Anthology, Seven Stories from the Sea), artist Sarah Graley (Kim Reaper: Vampire Island, Our Super Adventure) and letterer John J. Hill (Bedtime Games, Superman). Minecraft Volume One debuts summer 2019. The 80-page graphic novel will be released next summer, and is currently available for pre-order from Target, Amazon, TFAW and other retailers. It will sell for $9.99.

While you wait to get your hands on the graphic novel, Minecraft is available to play on just about every gaming device conceivable: Windows, Mac OS, Windows Phone, iOS, Android, Amazon Kindle Fire, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, PS Vita, Wii U, Switch, DS, Apple TV, Oculus Rift and Gear VR.

Children are already learning the skills they will need for a digital future through play, says Jaimie Johnston. The trick for the construction industry will be how to attract and harness this pool of talent

Jaimie Johnston BW 2018

Computer games may not sound like a big part of the future for construction design, but they could be. Through Minecraft, and games like it, kids are already learning the skills they will need to excel at virtual design.

For those of you who haven’t played it, Minecraft involves “mining” different kinds of 3D blocks and then “crafting” them into new creations. There are parallels with Lego, but Minecraft goes much further. On LinkedIn, tech commentator Joel Chappell says: “It’s like building something out of Lego after you made and moulded the plastic and dyed it with plants that you grew yourself, and then going on an adventure inside it through forests and deserts while monsters are chasing you”.

It’s entertainment, of course, but the skills required to play it are absolutely relevant to the process of virtual design. Players need to be able to build in response to different biomes (terrain), problem-solve in a “live” environment while facing pressure from monsters, use materials in creative and unique ways, and collaborate with others around the world.

This hasn’t gone unnoticed by the Chartered Institute of Building, which has created “Craft Your Future” within the Minecraft world. Through it, young learners collaborate in teams to design, plan and build within Newtown, a specially created virtual city. Commercial and educational organisations have seen the potential of the system, too. When Sioux Steel was planning a new site earlier this year, young people were invited to contribute their ideas for the project through Lego and Minecraft. Also this summer, children in Northern Ireland had the opportunity to construct a virtual replica of the new Armagh collage campus through Minecraft.

All of this matters, because what the building industry needs from its designers is changing fast. A new generation of digital natives will work in partnership with algorithms. Their contribution will increasingly be the initial concept, which is where design value is greatest. A much smaller proportion of their time will go into documenting the idea than it does now. These skills will also be needed in many other industries, so construction must be able to compete to attract them – and some, like the

tech giants, have deep pockets.

The digital natives will drive a new kind of automated, or platform, construction. As in Minecraft, they will create unique structures from sets of standardised components, designed to fit together, as they do in manufacturing. This means much less waste and faster build times. And because efficient assembly processes can be designed in, site workers will need far less training than traditional trades require. The skills shortage we currently face makes that a very good thing.

Some might question whether digital natives can replace existing architectural training or cope with the practical challenges. A Minecraft building may not be structurally sound, for example. Yet structural requirements, and other standards – for fire resistance or electrical connectivity – could be designed in. The technology doesn’t exist yet, but it seems inevitable that it eventually will.

Others might argue that existing architectural education should simply be adapted to meet new needs, but architecture training is already very expensive – it can cost up to £120,00 for a five-year course. Moreover, technology is developing so fast that knowledge will need to be constantly renewed.

Ideas such as skills acquisition through Minecraft sound radical, but so does the future. The World Economic Forum estimates that 65% of children who are now in primary education will end up in jobs that don’t exist today. It’s a view echoed by Dell Technologies, which predicts that 85% of the jobs that will exist in 2030 haven’t yet been invented. Few would doubt that technology is driving change at an ever-increasing rate, but it is also extending the scope of human creativity. Today, young people can learn virtual design through play. Our industry will need their skills, and so will many others.

Jaimie Johnston is director and head of global systems, Bryden Wood

Nintendo has officially revealed the Minecraft New Nintendo 2DS XL ‘Creeper Edition’ for Europe.

Back in July, this luminous green beauty was confirmed for Japanese buyers alongside new Animal Crossing and Mario Kart bundles, but it was unclear whether or not the system would make it to western shores. Then, late last month, we spotted the console tucked away inside a PDF file sent by Nintendo RU around the time of Gamescom. It turns out that the PDF file wasn’t lying after all, and the system is indeed about to arrive in Europe.

View image on TwitterView image on Twitter

Nintendo of Europe
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@NintendoEurope
On 19/10, look out for the #Minecraft New Nintendo #2DS XL – Creeper Edition, distinctively decked out with a Creeper design and pre-loaded with Minecraft: New Nintendo #3DS Edition!

Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition is available on #eShop now!

16:16 – 20 Sep 2018
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While the Creeper design is sure to be the major selling point of this one, the console also comes with a copy of Minecraft: New Nintendo 3DS Edition pre-loaded. If you’re a Minecraft fan still looking for a new 2DS system, or know someone who is, you can’t really get much better than this.

The console will be available in stores from 19th October.

A museum is encouraging people to digitally rebuild Bristol by offering free Minecraft maps of the city.

We The Curious created the maps for its Minecraft workshops as part of its Festival of What If over the summer.

Life science officer Tom Rodgers said: “There was a rollercoaster, a giant rainbow and someone turned College Green into a volcano.”

Minecraft is a video game, but there is no winning or losing. Gamers create digital worlds.

“There was no Metrobus or Arena – maybe that’s not what 12-year-olds are concerned about,” Mr Rodgers said.

The museum’s maps cover the city centre around the Harbourside and can be downloaded from the museum’s Twitter page.

Mr Rodgers said: “We’ve never done a digital event like this before, but really we just want to inspire people to have a go themselves and give them new ideas.”

Microsoft is set to launch the iPad version of Minecraft: Education Edition to schools in September, the company confirms in a statement.

On its official website, Microsoft said students can now use their iPads to build historic monuments, bring creative stories to life, and swim through coral reefs through its Update Aquatic.

Students can also experiment with chemistry and document their accomplishments with its camera and portfolio features. Minecraft: Education Edition can also discuss subjects like STEM, history, language, art, among others.

Minecraft: Education Edition is designed to help teachers incorporate the software into their curriculum, including their lesson plans and sources. Microsoft said teachers who are using Minecraft: Education Edition could utilize the beginner’s tutorial world and access the game’s official website for a number of free classes online.

Teachers can also seek help year-round onboarding and classroom support from a global community of “Minecraft Mentors” and from the growing community composed of 35 million licensed teachers and students in 115 countries.

According to Kyriakos Koursaris, head of Education Technology for PaRK International School, Minecraft: Education Edition on iPad will open new ways of collaboration between students and teachers to explore curriculum and projects.

“The features allow for deep and meaningful learning, and the values it promotes, from inclusivity to 21 century skills, empower everyone to use technology with extraordinary results,” Koursaris said.

How To Get ‘Minecraft: Education Edition’ On iPad?
Microsoft said that if a school is licensed through Microsoft 365 for Education (A3 or A5), it already has access to Minecraft: Education Edition and could download the app onto iPads in September. However, school administrators must assign the available licenses to the teachers who want to use it.

In addition, Microsoft has updated Intune for Education to help IT administrators manage student devices from a unified, streamlined console.

If a school is interested in introducing Minecraft: Education Edition on iPad to teachers and students, but has not purchased a license in the past, a volume licensing agreements is available through the Microsoft Store for Education and other resellers. Schools shell out for the annual subscription of the software, but they can try it out for free for up to 25 teacher logins and 10 student logins.

Update For ‘Minecraft’ Windows 10 PC And Xbox Users
Microsoft said that Minecraft players and families who play outside of school using Windows 10 PC and Xbox console could now use the Chemistry Resource Pack that was originally released for Minecraft: Education Edition.

According to Microsoft, the Chemistry Resource Pack package includes lab tables, element blocks, and items that are craftable only using the new chemistry features. Players can enjoy the Chemistry Resource Pack by going to Create New World option in the game and toggle the Education option under the Cheats menu.

4J Studios has finally released the long-anticipated Aquatic update for Minecraft today on Sony consoles. This update is available to download now on the PS3, PS Vita, and PS4 and will be released early tomorrow for the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii U.

4J Studios has confirmed on their official Twitter account that this update is available now for Sony consoles and will launch later today or tomorrow for the Xbox 360 and Nintendo Wii U. It was already available on PC, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One.

minecraft-update-aquatic-logo-1024×576

You can find out more details about the Minecraft Aquatic update from the official website. Here are the patch notes for this new update that should be available to download now.

Added the Update Aquatic! The oceans of Minecraft are now teeming with new life!
Added 6 new Trophies!
Added Shipwrecks, Underwater Ruins, Coral Reefs, Icebergs, Underwater Caves/Ravines, and Buried Treasure to world generation.
Added new blocks: Coral, Dried Kelp, Sea Pickles, Sea Turtle Eggs, Stripped Logs, Blue Ice, Prismarine Stairs, and Prismarine Slabs.
Added new Kelp and Sea Grass underwater flora.
Added Trapdoors, Pressure Plates, and Buttons for every type of wood.
Added Bubble Columns that are created by underwater Magma or Soul Sand. Bubble Columns push players and mobs to the surface, or drag them under!
Added the Conduit, a block that provides underwater players with a powerful Status Effect.
Added Tridents, and their unique enchantments; Impaling, Channeling, Riptide, and Loyalty.
Added other new items: Dried Kelp, Fish Buckets, Turtle Shell Helmet, Heart of the Sea, Nautilus Shell, Scute, and Phantom Membrane.
Added new Potions and Arrows of the Turtle Master, and of Slow Falling.
Added Buried Treasure Explorer Maps that will lead you to great wealth hidden under the sands!
Added Cod, Salmon, Pufferfish, and 2700 types of Tropical Fish!
Added the Dolphin, a friendly mob that helps players out!
Added the Phantom, a mob that hunts down tired players.
Added the Sea Turtle, a mob that travels the world but always returns home.
Added the Drowned, a monster that attacks players that enter their underwater domain.
Added new Warm, Lukewarm, and Cold Ocean biomes to hold all this new stuff…
…And a new Tutorial world to show you how to use it!
Minecraft: Console Edition is available on the PS3, PS4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, Nintendo Wii U, and PS Vita.

Minecraft’s old, outdated (but still more featured) Java version still exists, but it’s largely being supplanted by the Bedrock edition of the game, thanks to its ubiquity. It’s the version that’s now on PC, Xbox One and Nintendo Switch, phones, tablets and to a lesser extent, the PlayStation 4 – because that version doesn’t have that “Better Together” functionality that lets people from across platforms mine and craft with friends.

That Bedrock Edition is getting a little better now, because it supports dedicated servers, that you can run at home.

“Similar to what has been available for players of the Java Edition, dedicated bedrock servers allow Minecraft players on Windows and Linux computers to set up their own server at home, or host their server using a cloud-based service.”

“You can think of this as a server hosting tool which gives you the creative power to configure your world to whatever Minecraft experience you want. Whether it is tinkering with all of the settings, modes, server life cycle, whitelisting, or anything else!”

That’s neat! There are a few caveats though. Dedicated servers aren’t supported on the Switch version at this time (though players can host their own servers on Realms). The Xbox One version supports dedicated servers, but only on LAN. Small concession, but it’s nice to have the functionality.

I’m going to set up a server at home, have my kids build grand structures – and then use it as blackmail. Sorry, what’s that? You don’t want to do your chores? I’m deleting the server, you little bastards.

You can download the Minecraft Bedrock servers for Windows and Linux here.

Last Updated: September 12, 2018

A “Minecraft” add-on, or game mod, added climate-change weather effects to show gamers negative impacts similar to the real world.

The aptly named “GlobalWarming” game mod, made by developer Nick Porillo, attempts to simulate the real-world effects of climate change into “Minecraft” as a way to educate gamers about caring for the environment, reports Motherboard.

The game mod added several concepts into “Minecraft” such as the idea of rising carbon dioxide (CO2) levels in the game’s atmosphere. Things like smoke from burning, cooking or smelting ores would increase CO2 levels and trigger various weather phenomena. Some of these weather changes can also be observed in the real world.

Porillo got inspiration from a course on climate-change science, technology and policy last spring at the Rochester Institute of Technology.

“[The course] really educated me on the topics at hand. Last week I was just playing the new Minecraft 1.13 update after a multi-year hiatus from Minecraft. I was shocked at how much things have changed, and the ocean biomes updates really introduced the ability to make this idea happen,” said Porillo.

He added, “The (Minecraft) community believes there is potential educational benefit, so I’ve been working on developing cool ideas to make the gameplay fun and informational.”

Not all is doom and gloom for the game add-on. Players who install the “GlobalWarming” may also practice saving the environment by planting trees and other activities to offset in-game emissions. This in turn will help stop environmental damage on a large scale.

Porillo warned, “If the majority of players don’t agree to be near-carbon-neutral in how they play, then the carbon score will only continue to rise in-game. Once the damage negatively impacts the players, they will begin paying back that ‘debt’ they accrued.”

On the other hand, if players put effort in preventing the rise in emissions, then they can avoid the negative consequences altogether.

Porillo is still adding more features to the 5-days-old “GlobalWarming” mod such as a carbon scorecard where names players with the highest emissions can be put up for all to see. Alfred Bayle /ra

Memes with Toto’s hit “Africa” are all the rage right now and Minecraft player and Youtube user grande1899’s latest video is the cherry on the cake. It’s just under three minutes long, so short enough for you to have a quick sing along wherever you are.

Dr. Grandayy 🏥
@grande1899
I finally made Africa by Toto with Minecraft note blocks
Watch the full version on my note block channel ⬇️https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JKli-d8QMLg …
(yes it’s a bubble upload today!)

5:40 AM – Sep 5, 2018
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1,765 people are talking about this
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The creator described the making of the video as:

“I made it all by ear using only note block sounds. The audio in the video is not the exact in-game audio as due to Minecraft’s limitations the in-game version doesn’t sound as good. The video is also sped up so the tempo is the same as the original song. The note block structure was generated using Minecraft Note Block Studio.”

Fans of the account are happy to see this latest edition to grande1899’s repertoire as they’ve covered everything from Dua Lipa to John Cena’s entrance music.

“Although the game was simulating an environment from 1989, urban planners these days still run into problems trying to get officials to think about their city in the long run. Climate change and sea level rise is a very crystalline example of the way city officials get in their own way and set themselves up for larger obstacles later on […]

Playing SimCity 2000 nowadays is a strange but wonderful way to realize what defines a city is not what it currently is, but what it could be. — inverse.com

More on simulations and gameplay for city planning:

SimCity and beyond: the history of city-building games
Three guiding principles for a fine fake metropolis
“Cards Against Urbanity,” the hilarious and surreal urban planning game
California Water Crisis? Now there’s a board game for that!
As It Lays: The New L.A. Game
The theory of everything in sandbox city: Will Wright’s keynote at ACADIA 2014

“Tate Worlds are exciting Minecraft ‘maps’ that present virtual environments inspired by artworks from Tate’s collection. The maps allow players of Minecraft to explore a range of paintings and sculpture, undertaking various activities and challenges that relate to the themes of the artworks, or exploring how they were made. Tate has teamed up with some of Minecraft’s best known mapmakers to create these virtual artworks, offering a unique combination of art, history and adventure. — Tate.org

The first two maps were released by the museum on November 24th and were based on two famous paintings of urban settings: Andre Derain’s 1906 painting of London, The Pool of London, and Christopher Nevinson’s 1920 painting of New York, Soul of the Soulless City.

André Derain, the influential Fauvist painter, depicted the bustling port of the Thames at the turn of the century. In the new Minecraft version of the painting, the bright colors employed by the painter are reproduced on an immersive scale. Gamers can wander the imaginary city and explore such historic sites as the Tower of London.

Christopher Nevin’s futurist-influenced painting Soul of the Soulless City depicts New York in the 1920s, as it began to emerge both economically and architecturally as a modern metropolis. Fittingly, the experience of the corresponding Minecraft maps begins on a train that hurtles you into the city, just as Nevin’s painting utilizes train tracks to convey its convoluted sense of perspectival motion.

In 2015, Tate Worlds will release maps based of John Singer Sargent’s Carnation, Lily, Lily, Rose from 1885-6, Peter Blake’s The Toy Shop from 1962, John Martin’s The Destruction of Pompeii and Herculaneum from 1822, and Cornelia Parker’s Cold Dark Matter: An Exploded View from 1991.

The BlockWorks studio proves, yet again, that architects can use Minecraft as a design tool to produce rather magical results with impressive detail. The team of architects, designers, and animators envision mystical cubic worlds in response to what they refer to as “Briefs”, which include commissions from YouTube personalities, gaming networks, museums, and film studios as well as original submissions to actual Minecraft design competitions.

Although the designs are largely fictional, BlockWorks draws inspiration from real-world buildings from throughout history and even structural details by today’s starchitects. As expected, the team’s growing portfolio is pretty spectacular, and surely retains one’s attention for a good amount of time.

You can check out more of BlockWorks’ projects in greater detail on their website. Also, sneak a peek at some their project trailers below or on their YouTube channel.

All images via. H/T Kotaku Australia

Introducing BlockWorks: Cinematic Trailer

Aeternium – Minecraft Cinematic by BlockWorks

Tomorrowland – Minecraft Cinematic by BlockWorks

“In this extended short, City Beautiful takes on the old school classic SimCity from the perspective of a professional planner 20 years later. Along the way, City Beautiful provides pertinent observations of game play versus reality. — theurbanist.org

Urban Design Ph.D student Dave Amos circles back around to the game that sparked his passion as a kid playing computer games. An advocate for sustainable living and diverse cities, Amos plays through the old school SimCity game providing relevant insights learned over the years in his career.

While normally used by online gamers to create a generated world for exploration and combat, the world-building computer game Minecraft has been noted for its architectural capabilities. BlockWorks, a design studio in the UK, uses the game as a design tool to create materials for marketing, media, and education; a competition in Australia a few years back invited students to design a national park using the block-building program; and Bjarke Ingels has proselytized at length that the architecture field should become more like the game as well.

Providing an online platform to build the world we want to inhabit, Minecraft’s great distinction is its offer of complete freedom from real world constraints—there’s no clients, no engineers, and no financial restrictions. Testing those limits, architect and designer Andrew McClure of Nomad Design set out to build something using Minecraft. Educated on the program by his young cousin, McClure picked a site in the desert, laid out a foundation, and built his contemporary dream home, cantilevers and all.

Minecraft – or, specifically, the Minecraft Bedrock Edition series of titles – has now received dedicated servers for players across the board. Unfortunately, this feature has arrived on every platform other than Nintendo Switch.

Dedicated servers allow players on Windows and Linux computers to set up their own server at home, or host their server using a cloud-based service. From here, other players owning a Bedrock edition of the game can join in, giving those in your specific server the power to configure your world however you like with your own unique settings, modes, server life cycle, and more.

An article on developer Mojang’s support page has confirmed the fact that Switch owners cannot take part in this new feature.

Q: Who can play on my dedicated server?
A: Anyone playing on the bedrock editions will be able to connect to the server, with the current exception of Nintendo Switch users. Also, players on Xbox One will only be able to connect through a LAN connection.

The “current exception” part of that statement provides hope that Switch players will be able to join in the fun at a later date, but the lack of explanation behind the move is a little frustrating. Hopefully, Mojang is busy working behind the scenes to implement the feature on Nintendo’s console, too, but we’ll just have to wait and hope for an official announcement on this in due course.

Do you play Minecraft on Switch? Would you like to jump into dedicated servers with your friends? Let us know below.