By It’s a portable game, nonetheless…
- by Ben Kerry
Since Xbox commenced acquiring these large developers and publishers, we’ve all likely contemplated the potential synergy we could witness from Microsoft’s gaming segment, although that hasn’t transpired just yet. On the whole, these developers and publishers within Xbox appear rather distinct – however, at last, we are beginning to observe some indications of this Xbox crossover life we imagined.
These indications emerge from Minecraft Blast; a fresh Minecraft mobile game unveiled this week. What’s distinctive about this specific endeavor is that it’s a partnership between Xbox Game Studio Mojang and Activision’s King team; the creators behind Candy Crush. This represents the initial instance we’ve truly witnessed a direct collaboration between such entities at Microsoft.
Here’s how the team is portraying the endeavor in its early stages:
“Mojang Studios is collaborating with our skilled sister studio King (creators of Candy Crush Saga) to develop a new, Minecraft-themed mobile endeavor: Minecraft Blast!
We’re in the extremely nascent stages of this project and plan to begin rolling out small, limited-run tests in selected markets to gather initial feedback and engage our community from the outset.
We’re thrilled to embark on this journey with King and eagerly anticipate sharing more as the project progresses.”
In addition to this initial setup, Mojang has also published a comprehensive FAQ on its official announcement blog. There, the team delves deeper into the partnership. “This project is a joint effort between two top-tier teams performing what they excel at, together. King’s mobile expertise paired with Mojang Studios’ ingenuity is a formidable alliance”, the studio remarks.
The FAQ further describes Minecraft Blast as featuring “free to play contemporary match puzzle gameplay with constantly evolving scenarios” that includes “the ability to unlock and construct imaginative Minecraft-style environments”. The game’s gradual rollout initiates on the Apple app store, before “additional mobile platforms” come into play further down the line.
Regardless, we can’t claim to be mobile game enthusiasts here at Pure Xbox, but it’s certainly encouraging to witness two prominent Microsoft Gaming teams collaborating in this fashion. Here’s hoping for more exciting projects stemming from similar Xbox collaborations in the future!
What are your thoughts on this, everyone? Share your views on the new Minecraft collaboration in the comments below.
[source minecraft.net]
Ben is a News Writer at Pure Xbox, and is an admirer of action, racing and straightforward shooting in any Xbox game he can get his hands on. When he’s not gripping an Xbox controller as if his life depends on it, Ben spends his time enjoying music that’s rather outdated for him, watching football on the screen and likely dining somewhere.