Topic: Minecraft Coming to Wii U December 17: $29.99

[Shaymin]

New content promised for Nintendo fans.

http://www.nintendoworldreport.com/news/41607/minecraft-coming-to-wii-u-december-17-2999

The construction sensation Minecraft is finally coming to the Wii U.

Minecraft will release on the Wii U eShop next Thursday (December 17) in both North America and Europe. The North American version will launch at $29.99 with six add-on packs included, with 16 more available for add-on purchase on the first day including Star Wars and Greek mythology theme packs. Nintendo themed content is in development and will release at a later time. Off-TV play and split-screen multiplayer will be supported for the title as well.

UPDATE: Microsoft's Minecraft Monday livestream has confirmed 4 player local multiplayer and 8 player online.

The news was first mentioned by Nintendo's Damon Baker as a part of this past weekend's annual NWR Live Podcast Telethon for Child's Play.

[famicomplicated]

I guess Reggie heard me slamming him on the Famicast for not getting the deal to make Minecraft happen on WiiU.
Well played big man, well played.


Calling it now, Nintendo content = amiibo character unlocks. 

[Lemonade]

Not exactly the big news I was hoping for, but still pretty big news. Although not terribly surprising after the game was up on that European rating board just before the last Direct.

[ejamer]

Great news for Wii U owners who don't already have access to the game elsewhere. Probably a small group, but since our family is included I'm grateful.

Hmm... can anyone better versed in Minecraft please explain what the "six add-on packs included" might be about?
Are those just custom skins, or something more?
The game on Wii U seems more expensive than any other console, which is disappointing considering how late it's being released, but maybe those add-on packs make it a good value anyway?


Frankly, even though it is $10 more expensive - maybe more in Canada - it's still probably the best choice for my kids given our current situation... so we're almost certain to buy for Christmas unless the game is oddly gimped or performs very poorly. We were going to buy the Vita (ie: PSTV) version, but I'd much rather have it on Wii U because of where those consoles are set up in our house.

[ejamer]

I guess Reggie heard me slamming him on the Famicast for not getting the deal to make Minecraft happen on WiiU.
Well played big man, well played.


Calling it now, Nintendo content = amiibo character unlocks. 

Not saying that it's all your doing... but good thing you lit that fire.  Reggie knows who calls the shots.


Also, I'd be ok with Amiibo unlocks.  That actually seems like a better use of Amiibo figures than we've seen so far - I guess on par with Mario Marker - partly because I don't care about character unlocks enough to feel pressured to buy any figures I don't already have.

[TOPHATANT123]

Add on packs are official texture swaps for all of the textures in the game; say you get the festive one and the trees turn into Christmas trees and horses turn into Reindeers, but functionally they are the same just with different textures, and in my opinion are a bit of a rip off considering you can get fan made ones for free in the PC version.

If you have a family the best way to go is the console version for the local multiplayer. I wonder how that will work though, will you be able to use Wii remote and nuchuck or classic controlers, or would you need to get a full set of pro controllers?

[Stratos]

I knew this was the announcement! Very happy for this. Might even buy some add-on packs down the road. Glad it will include split-screen multiplayer as well. Hoping for a diverse range of controller options and some form of online.

[broodwars]

*yawn* Whatever. The Wii U is now the last piece of technology on the face of the Earth to support Minecraft. I'm curious if anyone really cares at this point. It's a good addition, but it's 2-3 years too late.

[kokumaker]

Minecraft is the most boring and pointless game to ever find a rabid fan base of millions. I can't stand it... but my daughter absolutely loves it, which will make this a great present for her to download on her Wii U on Christmas morning. She'll finally have something she wants to play other than just Splatoon.

[michaelbaysuperfan616]

I already have the PS4 edition but I wanted this just for Off-Tv play and the Nintendo skins. I DO care if they require Amiibo to unlock though because I am not at all interested in Amiibo. I would rather just buy the content that I want.

[Ian Sane]

Better than not having it I suppose but with the Wii U already with one foot in the grave this pretty much doesn't make a difference at all.  Any chance to cash in on the Minecraft phenomenon passed by years ago.

Nintendo should look at this as a lesson - don't let major releases end up on every platform BUT yours.  I'm actually trying to think of a videogame company that let that sort of thing happen so repeatedly and I'm thinking Atari?  Maybe Sega since they didn't have EA on the Dreamcast?

[Disco Stu]

Is this an exciting announcement? Not really.  But it is an absolutely necessary box that Nintendo can finally check.  Hopefully it's a signal that their relationships with third parties could be shifting. Probably not though.

[Enner]

I need 8-bit Mario, Zelda, and Metroid skins for the Wii U version. That will be great.


A Kirby one will be perfect for me!

[Evan_B]

Wow! It costs more than I paid for it the first time on PC!

Also, I'm guessing this version doesn't support online play since it seems conspicuously absent from the press release. It wouldn't surprise me, and it also doesn't surprise me that Nintendo thinks this is a big deal. I mean, it is for THEM, but not the rest of the world.

[michaelbaysuperfan616]

I am excited and I already own it for PS4. I don't care if it has online because I don't currently play online anyways. What I want is offtv play, mentioned, and custom Nintendo skins, mentioned, and touch/stylus controls, not mentioned but hopefully still in the works.

[relewis2011]

I've never played Minecraft, nor do I ever plan to, as I'm not much of the world-building type of gamer. I like the Sims, Roller Coaster Tycoon and such, but not so much constructing an entire world from scratch. That aside, this is excellent news for Wii U owners, and especially potential Wii U owners. [/size]Minecraft is for kids today what Pokemon was for my generation back in the late 90s. I can't go to a restaurant without seeing some kid with his or her parent's iPad in hand playing some game, often MineCraft. Being able to to play that at home on the big screen AND off-screen via the GamePad is a nice incentive for parents to consider the Wii as a worthwhile purchase (instead of another iPad or some similar tablet). Just my two cents, but I think this could be pretty big for Nintendo, even if the NX is on the near horizon.[/color]

[Soren]

Gotta love Microsoft Studios twitch account confirming news for a Nintendo game...

[ThePerm]

It would be really awesome if you were standing somewhere...threw an amiibo statue down and a pixel art statue popped up in front of you.

[ThePerm]

[Seacor]

Also, I'm guessing this version doesn't support online play since it seems conspicuously absent from the press release. It wouldn't surprise me...

NOA's product page says the game supports eight player online.
http://www.nintendo.com/games/detail/minecraft-wii-u-edition

[Stratos]

Did Nintendo pull down the game page? Link you gave does not work.

[Stratos]

Odd, a number of Nintendo links are not working, but the pages come up in searches.


There is also an article about a Disney XD show about Mario Kart but that link doesn't work either.