People are playing Minecraft to make money, not just to create blocky looking buildings in a fantasy world.
Mojang, the developer behind the popular game, said Tuesday that Minecraft creators have earned over $1 million selling custom character designs, maps, interactive stories, and other accessories in the game's online marketplace.
The fact that Minecraft Marketplace was only launched in June after being announced in April underscores the game’s popularity and potential as a business to third parties. Creators who post items for sale in the game's marketplace earn a cut on all sales.
Microsoft(msft, -0.47%), which bought Mojang in 2014 for $2.5 billion, pitches the marketplace as a safer way to buy and download third-party add-ons to the core Minecraft game as opposed to buying them from other websites. In order to sell goods through the game, users must first apply online and be approved.
Minecraft Marketplace is available through Apple(aapl, -1.59%) and Android-based mobile devices, Windows 10- powered personal computers and phones, Amazon(amzn, -1.37%) Kindle Fire and Kindle Fire TV, and the Samsung Gear VR headset, according to a Microsoft support page. It is not compatible with Microsoft's Xbox One, Xbox 360, PlayStation, and Nintendo Switch, but a spokesperson told Fortune in an email that the marketplace “will be available in Minecraft on Xbox One and Nintendo Switch with the launch of the Better Together Update later this year.”
Correction: Minecraft Marketplace debuted in June after being announced in April.
Minecraft players who have been waiting to transfer over their game worlds from the Wii U to the Nintendo Switch have had some great news.
Developers 4J Studios confirmed this week that a new update for the game has been released which will make everything pretty easy.
This new feature was included in the most recent Console Edition patch, and works with the existing Switch version.
This will be a huge boost for fans who are desperate to carry on their adventure on an upgraded, and portable device.
The new features looks easy enough to use, players will just need to go through a few options on their Wii U and confirm the transfer on their Nintendo Switch.
NINTENDO
Turn on both your Wii U and your Switch and launch Minecraft.
For anyone who has been enjoying The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, the last few months have been pretty good too.Fans have been able to enjoy the franchise’s first ever DLC Season Pass, which has provided more gameplay challenges for those who might have completed the story.
And Nintendo continue to support their new game with regular updates and tweaks, which help to improve the overall performance on Nintendo Switch and Wii U.
But one such boost recently passed the Wii U console by.
Released for Breath of the Wild on Nintendo Switch and Wii U, patch 1.3.1 fixed a couple of DLC issues, as well as adding a new feature.
Pokémon fans, it's time to celebrate: A real, true, “core”Pokémon game is coming to the Nintendo Switch, fulfilling the hopes and dreams of Poké-maniacs everywhere.
The announcement was made by Nintendo in a YouTube broadcast ahead of the E3 conference. The game won't be ready for a “year or more,” says the company.
Earlier in June, Nintendo announced “Pokkén Tournament DX,” a fighting game in the style of “Mortal Kombat,” would be coming to the Nintendo Switch later this year. This announcement was a letdown for lots of Nintendo fans, who were hoping for a more traditional Pokémon game to come to the hybrid console.
Also of note is that this Pokémon game would also be the first in the main series for a Nintendo home console — previous mainline Pokémon games have only appeared on Nintendo's portable systems. Home consoles like the Nintendo Wii U have previously only recieved spinoffs, like the “Pokémon Rumble” series. This new one is confirmed to be a role-playing game, in line with the classic Pokémon titles.
While the Nintendo Switch can be detached to play away from a TV, Nintendo considers it a TV console first and foremost.
So while the wait for this new Pokémon will be painful, it's going to get a lot of Nintendo Switch owners very hyped. And it's sure to give a lot of folks a reason to buy a Switch.
At E3 2017, Nintendo released some more footage of the highly anticipated new Mario game for Nintendo Switch, which comes out October 27, 2017. Check out Mario tossing his hat onto a giant t-rex and running around in a very fancy white tuxedo in “Super Mario Odyssey.”
Nintendo's latest video game console is off to a killer start.
Just look how excited these paid actors are to play the Switch!Nintendo
The barely three-month-old Nintendo Switch remains sold out everywhere. Its main launch game, “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” is heralded as one of the best games ever made. And Nintendo has a huge new Mario game, “Super Mario Odyssey,” in the works that is scheduled for launch this holiday.
Between this year's Switch games and what we found out recently about 2018's Switch lineup, it looks as if Nintendo is finally delivering on its long-held promise to release a steady cadence of games from its biggest franchises. Heck, Nintendo just announced a full-on new Pokémon game for the Switch. That's an outright first for Pokémon, a series forever tied to Nintendo's handheld consoles.
The first Pokémon games debuted on Nintendo's Game Boy handheld console.Nintendo
We've put together a comprehensive list of what's coming to the Switch in 2017 and what to expect for 2018 — follow that below:
2017: A new “Super Mario,” a sequel to “Splatoon,” a Pokémon spin-off, and a new series for Mario.
Mario takes a characteristic leap in “Super Mario Odyssey,” the next major entry in the Mario series.Nintendo
For a launch year, the Switch is getting a mess of fantastic games. Nintendo started with the showstopper in “The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild,” which launched alongside the Switch in March.
“Zelda” was quickly followed by an updated rerelease of “Mario Kart 8” — arguably the best “Mario Kart” game ever made — and an entirely new entry in “Arms.” “Minecraft” launched soon after, and Nintendo even allowed the Switch version of “Minecraft” to play nice with the Xbox One, PC, mobile, and VR versions of the game. If you're playing the game on one of those platforms, you're also playing with people on the Switch!
And that's just through to now (June 2017) — much more is coming in the back half of 2017 and next year.
At this point, we know much of Nintendo's plan for the rest of 2017. While several games are launching for the Switch leading up to this holiday season, the heavy among them is “Super Mario Odyssey.” It's a gorgeous new Mario game along the lines of “Super Mario 64” and “Super Mario Sunshine.” It's scheduled for launch on October 27.
Before “Super Mario Odyssey” arrives this October, Nintendo's summer plans are dedicated to “Splatoon 2” — a sequel to the delightful shooter that debuted on Nintendo's failed Wii U console. It arrives on July 21.
Following the launch of “Splatoon 2” this summer, a spin-off of the Pokémon series is heading to the Switch: “Pokken Tournament DX.” It's a 3D fighting game featuring — what else? — Pokémon, and it's a rerelease of a game previously available on the Wii U. Think of it as a precursor to next year's “core” Pokémon game on the Switch. It arrives September 22.
Everyone's favorite cartoon plumber isn't just getting his own game later this year — he and his pals are joining up with Ubisoft's Rabbids for a new game: “Mario + Rabbids Kingdom Battle.” It's a more tactical game than anything else, and it arrives August 29.
2018: A “core” Pokémon game, new entries for Kirby and Yoshi, Nintendo's online service, and a new game in the “Metroid Prime” series.
Nintendo
During Nintendo's presentation at E3 2017, the annual video game trade show that took place earlier this month, the company unveiled a new entry for Yoshi. The game thus far is just named “Yoshi,” and it looks like a twist on the old “Yoshi's Island” format from back in the Super Nintendo days.
Similarly, Nintendo recently debuted a new game in the “Kirby” series. It looks like a return to form for the series, with Kirby traipsing through 2D levels, sucking in enemies and absorbing their powers. The Kirby and Yoshi games are unnamed, and neither has a release date beyond “2018.”
You can tell Nintendo is really serious about getting back into the good graces of its fans, because it's releasing a new entry in the “Metroid Prime” series, long thought to be dead. The company showed nothing more than a trailer, but that was enough to get some fans to lose their mind.
In addition to a new spin-off game this year, a new entry in the “Pokémon” series is coming to the Switch. Pokémon company president Tsunekazu Ishihara calls it a “core RPG Pokémon title.” That sounds like a main entry in the Pokémon series for the Switch — a first for Nintendo, which has always made these games for its handhelds. There's no gameplay to show yet, and Ishihara says the game could be “more than a year” out. Don't hold your breath for a 2018 release on this one.
The Nintendo Switch Online service is scheduled to launch in 2018 at a price of $20 a year. For that price, you'll get instant access to a classic game library and the ability to play games online.
Nintendo
Nintendo's new service costs $20 a year (or $4 for a month or $8 for three months) and is scheduled to launch in 2018. When it arrives, it'll be available only for the Nintendo Switch — Nintendo's newest game console, which operates as a portable handheld and a home console.
Beyond access to online gaming, which is free for now on the Switch, you'll also get access to a library of classic games from Nintendo's history. The first three games Nintendo showed off were “Super Mario Bros. 3,” “Dr. Mario,” and “Balloon Fight,” but more are expected to be announced as we learn more about the service.
Notably, those classic games are all from the NES: Nintendo's oldest home console. Nintendo has yet to confirm whether games from the SNES, Nintendo 64, GameCube, Wii, or Wii U will appear on the service (to say nothing of Nintendo's handheld gaming library). There is no release date for the service outside “2018” thus far.
What's still missing? “Super Smash Bros.,” “Animal Crossing,” and many more.
YouTube/Nintendo
There are still plenty of Nintendo franchises that could use a spin on the Switch. The most notable ones are obvious: “Super Smash Bros.,” “Animal Crossing,” and “Star Fox” all come to mind immediately.
Then there's the more obscure stuff: “WarioWare,” “Punch-Out,” “F-Zero,” Nintendogs,” “Dr. Mario,” and “Brain Training.” And that's before you start talking about really obscure stuff like “Earthbound.”
All to say one thing: Nintendo still has miles of depths to plumb before it runs out of classic characters and game franchises.
Of note, it looks as if we've just seen the beginning of Nintendo's effort to release updated versions of games that debuted on the Wii U. Nintendo America's president, Reggie Fils-Aime, told Vice recently: “Given the [very low] install base of Wii U, there was some fantastic content that consumers did not get to play. So that creates certainly a business opportunity.”
Who knows when: Where is Netflix? What about Hulu? YouTube? Amazon?
Netflix
It seems like a given that Nintendo's Switch console — a system built for use as a handheld and a home console — would get video streaming services like Netflix, Hulu, Amazon, YouTube, and others. It's 2017, and there are approximately zero game consoles without these services.
Yet, somehow, Nintendo's Switch launched without any of these services and continues to exist without them. Though Nintendo's never put a date on it, the company has repeatedly pointed to those services coming at some point in the future. When those services will arrive is the big question, and it's one that Nintendo's not answering (nor are Netflix, Hulu, and other services — we've asked).
This stuff isn't exactly crucial, but it sure doesn't hurt.
The advertisement in question was found on the back of a Lego instruction booklet for Lego set 60097, “City Square,” and features some artwork accompanied by the tagline “Explore. Discover. Create.”
There's also a link to a website — Lego.com/Worlds — but that link brings up Lego's 404 page, so it appears the advertisement might have run before Lego had time to set the website live.
The artwork for Lego Worlds certainly looks like it could be from a “Minecraft”-style video game, and the tagline does sound similar the tagline for “Minecraft,” which is “Build. Play. Explore.”
Creating a “Minecraft” competitor would also make a lot of sense for Lego: “Minecraft” is often described as a sort of virtual Lego sandbox where you can build whatever you want and then explore your creation or the creations of others. The popular video game has more than 100 million registered users and has sold more than 60 million copies across PC, Mac, Xbox, PlayStation, Android, and iOS.
Lego and Minecraft have partnered in the past, with Lego creating physical box sets with “Minecraft” branding, but it looks like Lego may be ready to create a sandbox-style video game of its own.
After its smash success following its launch in 2009, “Minecraft” has become one of the best-selling video games of all time. In September 2014, Microsoft acquired Mojang, the studio behind “Minecraft,” for $2.5 billion.
Just look how excited these paid actors are to play the Switch!Nintendo
The first Pokémon games debuted on Nintendo's Game Boy handheld console.Nintendo
