Minecraft coming to Xbox 360 (XBLA) but not PS3 (PSN)

Posted in minecraft

Notch confirmed that Minecraft will be coming to Xbox 360 early next year (2012) but it won't make an appearance on PS3, PSP or Wii (yet). The Xbox 360 version will be a console exclusive which will be downloadable through the Xbox Live Arcade system (XBLA).

Just like Halo and Gears of War (which were both Xbox exclusives) and Unchartered 3 and Gran Turismo 5 (which were both PS3 exclusives), Minecraft will only be available to those who own a particular console. It's not really unfair, but a wise business decision for Mojang. An exclusive game usually comes with a nice little pay packet - this time from the big guys over at Microsoft. There's also a nice profit to be made by Microsoft who take a percentage of each game sale made through XBLA.

What is XBLA?

XBLA is Microsoft's Xbox Live Arcade. It's a distribution service for Xbox games sold through the Xbox Live Marketplace. Gamers can browse through the marketplace, purchase and then download games directly to their Xbox consoles. XBLA is usually chosen for smaller downloadable games made by independent game developers (although major publishers also use the service). XBLA is convenient for publishers who don't need to distribute their games through shops and other retailers. It's also more convenient for the gamer because you can download XBLA games in minutes.

Even through Minecraft will be an Xbox exclusive, don't get too upset. Minecraft is best played on the PC and you don't even need a great spec to enjoy the sandbox game to its best..