A new platform means a new Minecraft game, and it looks like Minecraft developer Mojang’s parent company Microsoft see their new operating system as big enough to warrant platform status. We’ll see about that when it launches 29 July, a date that will also see the release of Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta.
Owners of the existing PC version of Minecraft will get this beta (and the eventual full release) for free, while those new to Minecraft can jump in for $10 USD during the beta. For that you get the standard Creative and Survival modes and support for many of the new gaming features of Windows 10 such as the Game DVR recording features, cross platform multiplayer with Minecraft Pocket Edition, support for tablet, keyboard and gamepad controls and integration with Xbox Live friends features.
There are a lot of unanswered questions here, such as how much of the existing PC Minecraft content will come along to the Windows 10 Edition and whether that version of the game will continue to work with the upcoming OS. The beta tag leads me to believe we’ll see a limited amount of content early on and having two separate PC development streams, one of which Microsoft has a vested interest in, is cause for concern. Mojang has a good track record of taking on player feedback to improve development but this could be the first test of the relationship between Mojang and Microsoft.
Minecraft: Windows 10 Edition Beta laucnhes alongside Windows 10 on 29 July.
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