Minecraft PS4

The console war is about to get really weird, as Xbox chief Phil Spencer has pledged that Minecraft will continue to exist on PlayStation platforms – despite Microsoft purchasing maker Mojang for $2.5 billion today. “Gaming is the top activity across devices,” he said, “and we see great potential to continue to grow the Minecraft community and nurture the franchise. That is why we plan to continue to make Minecraft available across platforms – including iOS, Android, and PlayStation, in addition to Xbox and PC.”

It’s unclear whether the executive’s strictly referring to the current version of the game, or hypothetical sequels, but it seems that the brand will very much live on the PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3, and Vita for the time being. Of course, we’ll have to wait and see if any future entries release on Sony’s systems as well. For now, unsurprisingly, the Redmond-based firm’s focusing on its own versions. “Our investments in cloud, Xbox Live, and mobile technology will enable players to benefit from richer and faster worlds, more powerful development tools, and more opportunities to connect with the Minecraft community.”

However, the real big news is that creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson will be walking away from the franchise that he created. “He's decided that he doesn't want the responsibility of owning a company of such global significance,” spokesperson Owen Hill said on Mojang’s official website. “Over the past few years, he's made attempts to work on smaller projects, but the pressure of owning Minecraft became too much for him to handle. The only option was to sell Mojang. He'll continue to do cool stuff, though. Don't worry about that."

Fellow founders Carl Manneh and Jakob Porsér will also be walking away from the company as a result of the buyout. “We don't know what they're planning,” Hill admitted. “It won't be Minecraft related, but it will probably be cool."

[source eurogamer.net]