Minecraft Switch Edition was announced in January of 2017, eventually releasing on the Nintendo Switch eShop in May of the same year. In June of this year, the game was delisted from the eShop and replaced with
Minecraft, alongside the release of Bedrock Edition.
Ever since the game was released on the Nintendo Switch,
Minecraft has been a massive hit with fans; making a lot of sense given that the Nintendo Switch is a very popular console and
Minecraft is a very popular game, as well.
In a recent interview with Weekly Famitsu,
Minecraft producers Roger Carpenter and John Thornton discussed a little bit about the game and why they think the game is as successful as it is on Nintendo's handheld hybrid console, and it actually has a lot to do with cross-platform play.
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Since the release of the Wii U version in 2016, we’ve been building up a more amicable relationship with Nintendo. With the move to the Bedrock Edition in June – more so than before – we’ve realized cross-platform play, and that seems to have appealed to a lot more users", explained Carpenter as Thornton chimes in and explains a little bit more about the whole process: "
We offered the Bedrock Edition to Switch players for free and made it possible for them to keep their downloadable content and world data for a smooth transition".
Which leads them to talk about
Minecraft becoming such a huge hit amongst Nintendo Switch players, explaining that Nintendo's hardware and
Minecraft's gameplay were a perfect fit for both its portability and touchscreen controls; making it perfect for players to enjoy the game anywhere they wanted, while also wanting to offer them cross-platform play.
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As for Minecraft being a hit on the Switch… This might seem obvious, but the hardware’s design and the game’s playstyle were a perfect match for each other! You can play while lying down in your bedroom or living room, or even when you actually go and meet up with friends. About a half a year ago you’d see children in restaurants around the UK playing Minecraft on their tablets – now they’re playing on their Nintendo Switches! So, it seems that Minecraft isn’t just popular in Japan, but the UK too. Cross-platform play was what realized that boost in popularity; we figured, “if we’re going to have cross-platform play, it should be on the Switch, too", explains Carpenter.
Play with friends on Xbox One, Windows 10 or Mobile. Explore community creations with the in-game store.
Minecraft is available now for the Nintendo Switch, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4.