Gamers can also choose to update the Xbox 360 version

Sep 30, 2014 21:13 GMT  ·  By

Platform holder Microsoft and the original creators at Mojang are announcing that all those who want to get a standalone physical copy of the Xbox One version of Minecraft will be able to pick one up in all major retail stores on November 18 of this year for the price of 19.99 dollars or Euro.

The official Xbox Wire announcement states, "Minecraft fans can easily transfer their Xbox 360 creations and most of their downloadable content to the Xbox One Edition and play in up to 36 times larger worlds."

They will also be able to access a number of downloadable content packs in order to add variety to their experiences and they can enjoy the unique four-player split-screen mode which is now part of the PC experience.

Minecraft also supports up to eight players at the same time via Xbox Live, and all those who own the game on the Xbox 360 can choose to simply upgrade for the price of 4.99 dollars or Euro.

Microsoft adds that the upgrade offer "is only eligible for the digital version of Minecraft: Xbox One Edition; players must own the retail disc or digital version of Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition and connect to Xbox Live with their account when playing the digital version."

The future of Minecraft and Microsoft

Earlier this month, Mojang was completely sold to Microsoft for 2.5 billion dollars (1.98 billion Euro), and that means that the creator of the Xbox One now owns the rights to the indie hit.

So far, the company has said that it has no plans to remove the title from other platforms or to introduce major changes to the core formula and that they are exploring a number of possibilities for the future, although no hints have been offered about what they might entail.

Minecraft is a very popular game and Microsoft needs to find a way to create revenue streams without alienating the big player base in any way and without tweaking the core mechanics of the world.

Some rumors are speculating that a full sequel might be created and will only be offered on the Xbox One and the 360.

Such a move might boost sales numbers for the Microsoft current-gen console, which has been lagging behind the PlayStation 4 from Sony in terms of sales and needs a major hit which can make it more attractive both to hardcore and to more casual players.