After getting a great head start on the PC, then making its way over to Xbox 360 and mobile with a pocket version, there's hardly a soul alive that's not aware of Minecraft, especially now that it's available on the PlayStation 3, and there's plan to bring the game to the next-gen PlayStation 4 and Xbox One sometime next year. But what about Nintendo's Wii U? Surely the console could benefit from the phenomenon that is Minecraft. Well, apparently that's also in the works.
Nintendo Enthusiast is claiming sources who have confirmed the game is indeed in development for the Wii U. Of course, until Mojang or 4J says something on the matter, take this as just a rumor. NE even opens the article with a link to a "rumor accountability" report.
The source in question is a retailer who says that Mojang (that's what the site mentions, despite 4J being responsible for the console ports, one reason to doubt the rumor) is currently in possession of Wii U dev kits, and plans on releasing a version of the game alongside the PS4 and Xbox One versions next year.
Raising flags on the rumor are previous statements from Jens Bergensten, Minecraft's lead designer and developer. Back in March, Bergensten was asked about the future of the game once the exclusivity period with the Xbox 360 ran out. Bergensten said that developing a version of the game for PS3 was under consideration, but a version for the Wii U was "very unlikely."
If it does turn out to be true, a Minecraft on the Wii U could be very interesting, especially with the console's tablet style touch screen controller, and Nintendo would no doubt be behind the project. Since its release in November 2012, the console has only managed to sell a meager 4 million systems around the world, a figure that could easily be passed soon enough by either the PS4 or Xbox One. If the Wii U could offer a hot title like Minecraft with an intriguing control scheme, it could be the push Nintendo needs.
In other Minecraft news, it seems that not everyone is as overjoyed about the game finally making its way over to different platforms, specifically, the PS3. Said folks have been quite liberal about speaking their mind against both the PS3 version, and 4J for its hand in developing the game, on the virtual soapbox that is Twitter.
Things apparently got so heated that 4J sent out a tweet over the weekend telling the upset fans to knock it off: "PS3 players are now part of the Minecraft community. If you think this is a reason to give us abuse on Twitter, please Unfollow us instead!"
Obviously, people will always prefer one console over another, but some take it a bit too far. Why exactly someone would take issue over a game being developed for another platform is beyond me, but when you allow people shrouded by the veil of anonymity to speak their mind, the idiots will come out in droves.