Microsoft Announces It is Making A Game for Sony Platforms - Why?

This is opinion piece over at Grab It discusses the move by Microsoft to announce Minecraft: Story Mode for multiple platforms, including Sony and Apple.

[SlappingOysters]

I think it is a great thing this game is being made and that it is appearing in all formats, but if I had shares in Microsoft or was in some other way invested, I would be wonder why this isn't an exclusive.

[DarkOcelet]

Sony's consoles are a huge market. With almost 110 million units sold combined so they cant just ignore it and make it exclusive.

[miyamoto]

Bottom line its all about the big money for M$.

[XBLSkull]

The fact is, it is Minecraft: Story mode... anyone play the story in Minecraft? Yeah... that's why they need to make it available everywhere they can.... gotta break even somehow

[Yahdaree]

Ya the only thing that matters is $$. MS knows they wouldn't push consoles with this title if it were exclusive, so why bother.

[DarkOcelet]

This is the first time i agree with you XBLSKull. To be honest, a story mode seems a bit far fetched. But telltale knows how to make them. But it also means that they will milk the franchise with every possible idea they can. Minecraft Runner, Minecraft 3d, Minecraft puzzle... etc etc etc.

[Army_of_Darkness]

Even MS wants a piece of the PS4's glory! LOL!

[Gamer1982]

The end of the day if they didnt carry on bringing Minecraft to playstation they wouldnt make that 2 billion back as Minecraft isn't a console seller. I mean it works on pretty much every device you can get your hands on. MS knows this so instead of using as one they are gonna try and sell you a copy for every device just like Mojang did.

[MeliMel]

Yeah it about the $$. But Minecraft doesn't need to be on Sony platforms to succeed, it was already doing great before it came to PS platform.

Edit: Oh yeah Xbox brand also has about 100 mil combined or more. Not to mention PC, Andriod and IOS. Keep thinking MS needed to put this on Playstation.

[xHeavYx]

If you can't beat them...

[Mr Pumblechook]

Microsoft is a software company first. Whilst they will try and grow their hardware divisions boss Satya Nadella recognises that their future survival depends on being platform agnostic, that's why he made sure that Office was released on iPad (the code was already complete but old boss Steve Ballmer refused to release it fearing it would damage Windows Surface sales).

Despite the massive user base and very high game sales the Xbox division doesn't actually make a profit. It's not unfeasible to think that Nadella is considering how much money they can make from their Xbox IP if it was available on all platforms. Sure it's not going to happen now, but Halo 6 available on all consoles and mobile platforms would probably make money than Star Wars VII.

Also, Phil Spencer when he announced the Mojang acquisition clearly said that Minecraft would continue to be supported on all platforms.

[TheRedButterfly]

@#1.1.9

"Sure it's not going to happen now, but Halo 6 available on all consoles and mobile platforms..."

XD Oh god my sides! You can't /possibly/ be serious.

[Eonjay]

It was already explained by Phil Spencer himself that this game, the deal and the platforms were agree upon before the purchase of Minecraft. He also iterated that Minecraft was already on other platforms and Microsoft would continue to do so.

[Charybdis]

Minecraft also has fans on sony platforms good to see that this gaming Franchise won't be excluding sony gaming hardware.
Now just hope they won't gimp the game on the sony platforms.

[XisThatKid]

Honestly If they didn't I'm sure there would be a huge back lash if they didn't though.

[christian hour]

Sony vaio laptops come with windows. Samsung Smart TVs will have PSnow. Xb1 uses BluRay.

Sometimes competitors do business together. It's nothing out of the ordinary. The why question should really be more about Why is this game even being made?

As much as I enjoy Telltale and look forward to seeing what they do with the world and the legends born out of the community (herobrine for example) the game could happily just also not exist.

[PONTIAC08G8GT]

I love all these messages about MS and how it's all about $$$$. Do you honestly believe Sony doesn't care about money? EVERY company cares about their bottom line and making money. Do you know what happens when companies don't make money? They go bankrupt. Didn't you guys/girls learn anything in elementary school?

[christian hour]

@PONTIAC08G8GT

Of course all companies care about money, but that's such a blanket statement it's not even really a point of debate or an argument.

What's important is how the company goes about earning that money and how it represents itself and conducts itself with the consumer. You can make a profit and still do it without being disingenuous and nontransparent.

Like Tower Records, I no longer do business with them because (god this is gonna make me sound like a hipster asshole... fml) since Vinyl records have gotten extremely popular in he last ten years theyve started selling them at ridiculous prices. The most I used to pay was 20 euro tops for a new record, now that seems like the lowest you'd pay, new records are going for almnost 50 euro a pop most times.

Meanwhile theres plenty of local record stores selling them at the same old price and reaping the rewards for not being selfish greedy cants cashing in on a trend.

[Kribwalker]

Microsoft have already put games on playstation, they are a minority owner of bungie.
http://www.shacknews.com/ar...

Just the same, Sony has put games on Microsoft consoles before, as they were huge shareholders in square Enix until last year.

Just saying, this isn't really news, both companies branch over to the other side when it pleases them, hell, they are partners in China now that their Chinese distributors have merged into one company

[nveenio]

With Minecraft's following, going exclusive would do more harm than good.

[XB1_PS4]

Some of the opinions in here are disgusting. Why can't you just be a little bit gratified that Microsoft is letting Minecraft be on other consoles? They could have very well made the game exclusive, and damn right it would have sold consoles. Although, they know, that the minecraft brand is already grounded. It is what it is. They don't want to tarnish the Minecraft brand by hogging it on to just Xbox One.

The spinning in here is atrocious.

[ChronoJoe]

I think the thing is that exclusivity to Microsoft platforms would struggle to offset the $2.5billion spend. The advantages of publishing Mincraft as multiplatform vastly outweighs its alternative.

Plus, Telltale might not be too keen on platform exclusivity. It means they would have to pay telltale more to restrict the game to less platforms, or reduce the licensing fees of the intellectual property to make it worthwhile. That means increasing spend, rather than increasing profit.

Exclusivity just doesn't make sense from a business perspective. Especially if your console isn't leading the race.

[Death]

Minecraft is more than an IP, it's a brand in its own. Microsoft bought the company based on the popularity of the franchise and merchandising which is very big for a game. The more exposure the game gets, the more merchandise will sell.

[Cream]

Who doesn't care about the money!

[t-hall785]

Lol yeah they could. But that would tarnish what minecraft is. It would definitely lead to bad pr also which microsoft needs NONE of right now. As an X1 owner even I can admit that. But yeah why cut a big chunk of revenue out when you just paid 2.5 bil. Yeah that had to factor in too I'm sure

[Monster_Tard]

There are too many fans of the franchise on other platforms to make it exclusive, the last thing Microsoft needs is more bad publicity and this isn't the first time Microsoft has released one of their games on a competitors device, they released Viva Piñata on Ds and they also allowed Rare to remake Diddy Kong Racing for the DS.

[jebabcock]

This has nothing to do with MS caving in to Sony and everything to do with the agreement made when mojang or whatever the name of the company was bought out. MS publicly announced that it would not restrict Minecraft from being on any consoles as a result of the purchase.

[indyman7777]

PS2 was a huge market with more than 110 million by itself, and they ignored it and did not put there spanking new Bungie put halo on it!

Wii had more than 110 million and they 'ignored' it and didnt put any forza or halo on it. (and it was starved for first person shooters too!

In fact EVERYONE ignores there competitors and only put there games on there on console. (excep Sega when they knew they was about to go out of the console business) and everyone said they could not because it was there bread and butter. And there history.

[BattleAxe]

Phil Spencer already commented on this, saying that agreements had already been made by Mojang before Microsoft bought the company. So, this may not be long lasting.

[Azzanation]

There doing this because there looking after there Minecrafts support base. Keep them happy and the money keeps rolling in. After all its a business.

[TheSaint]

This guy gets it.

[xPhearR3dx]

Why would it be exclusive? This franchise isn't going to make people buy an Xbox One. Why? Because Microsoft would NEVER abandoned PC on this franchise. And because of that, basically anyone who owns a PC will be able to play it due to how low the system requirements are.

[kayoss]

Hopefully this will be soon become a partnership. Sony will release some games for the xbox one and Nintendo and in turn, Nintendo and Microsoft will release some games on the PS4. This is what gaming should be and what gamers should want.
Imagine, one day Halo is cross platform on all three consoles and then we can determine which console have the better gamers.

[cluckey07]

Sony actually has good exclusives. System sellers. That's why Sony wont bring theirs to Xbox.

[MadLad]

@cluckeye07

The bias of some people truly astounds me, even now. That's okay though, miss out on the good games that you instantly toss off to the side.
Others, like me, won't.

[kayoss]

@cluckey07
Im a Playstation Fan. But Regardless if Sony exclusives are system sellers, there's still money to be made. You can not ignore the potential 10+ million xbox one owners and 10 million Nintendo Wii U owners buy a Sony game. This also applies to Nintendo and Microsoft as well. I bet it never crosses Microsoft mind the potential to have Halo be on 18.5 million PS4 consoles and have the Multiplayer be cross platform.

If they are worried about losing out on potential system that could be sold. Make it timed exclusive to their own console and release it to other platform once they feel like they have milked as much money off of their own console. They should move on to another console and milk that as much as possible.

Same deal with what apple used to do. Milk AT&T with the sought after iphone. Once they got their share of the money. They released it to Verizon and Tmobile. Smart business strategy if you asked me.

[WishMeWell259]

Theres nothing they could do. Mojang already had contracts with Sony and apple. When they brought out Mojang they hold the contracts.
and whatever the conditions states on those contracts must be uphold. If Xbox makes a Minecraft2 i can see that as an exclusive. Unless of course the contracts state that all minecraft games must make ports to Sony and Apple.
Its lawyer crap, nothing they can do.
Theyll probably throw in some xbox easter eggs or subliminal messages to get more people to buy xboxs

[blackout]

If that'sthe case ME would have never made it to the PS brand. MC is huge and needs to be on all platforms. The new computer at MS is doing his thing and it's only his first year. That God Bellmer is gone. I'm with the new blood.

[UnHoly_One]

It's quite simple.

Nobody is going to buy a device they don't already own just for this game. But if they make it available everywhere it will sell well, and they will also have the added benefit of looking like the good guys for a change.

[christian hour]

They only just bought the IP and already they're milking it with unnecessary titles?

A simple title update would've been sufficient, allow us to download peoples story worlds that are already in abundance in the PC editions community, boom, done, no need for the telltale treatment.

Or how about focusing those funds on 4j so they can get their act together and make the console versions (or at least the ps4/xb1 console versions) on par with the pc version.

Theres no reason it shouldn't be easier to port now that the new consoles are on x64 architecture (for the 360/ps3 versions that had to basically redesign the game from the ground up because they couldnt use openGL)

[3-4-5]

Microsoft doesn't have the IP's and characters that Sony or Nintendo has.

Microsoft could get away with making games for PS4/XB1/Wii U, and NOT have it hurt their image.

Nintendo & Sony couldn't do that without making a lot of people upset. It also wouldn't be smart for either to do.

* Whatever the next Minecraft game is WILL be on multiple platforms...

[spacedelete]

in a way giving one or two games to a competitor is actually great advertising. just imagine if MS gave PS4 owners the Halo MCC HD collection but keep Halo 5 exclusive to the Xbox. PS4 owners will then want to play Halo 5 and will have to buy a Xbox One. its essentially teasing and giving a taster and once that person has a taste they will be addicted.

Halo would sell COD numbers if it wasn't Xbox exclusive. its time the game industry let everyone play exclusives as it means more money for them and more games for us. you don't see DVD's being exclusive to a certain DVD player so why should consoles be any different ?

[Clown_Syndr0me]

If you were a shareholder wouldn't you want MS to make as much money as possible? You wouldn't want it to be an exclusive that would mean less money so I really don't understand what you meant.

[TheOnlyMastrx]

Microsoft bought Mojang at some point last year, aquiring Minecraft in the process, but they stated that the arrangement didn't have them taking control until the beginning of 2015. I can't remember who exactly, be it Phil Spencer or someone else, recently stated that Minecraft: Story Mode was in the works long before they had control of Mojang and so it would continue on to be released on multiple platforms.

I would assume anything that will be developed afterwards will be Microsoft exclusive, on Xbox 360, Xbox One, Windows Phone, and possibly PC.

[joab777]

Sometimes it's much more lucrative to make for all platforms.

Honestly, buying mojang had less to do with Xbox exclusivity and more to do with money. Now, they get paid no matter where it's bought.

If there ever is a Minecraft 2, it would much smarter to release it everywhere and rake in the cash and invest it into xbone.

Shareholders don't care if xbone has this exclusive or that. They want the corporation to make money...however it's done.

[jznrpg]

Because the more people you offer the product to purchase, the more money you can potentially make. Board members only care about a return on their investment, not who they sold it to get it. If they can make more money without Xbox they would be fine with it.

[Aquariusgamer]

I have two theories:

It wasn't the gaming division, ie phil spencer who bought minecraft, it was someone or some department higher up the food chain who dont give a damn about console wars, so they wanna sell it everywhere.

Theory 2, maybe someone at mojang is still partly an owner and the purchase contract states minecraft cant be platform exclusive.

[FlameBaitGod]

"but if I had shares in Microsoft or was in some other way invested, I would be wonder why this isn't an exclusive"

LMFAO ? do you even know how shares work ? if more people buy it the share becomes more valuable. That made no sense LOL!, learn a lil about shares before writing about them buddy :)

[MrCrimson]

It might be contractual. Telltale probably already licensed the Minecraft IP for the making of this game prior to the Minecraft acquisition by Microsoft. You guys are all really blowing this out of proportion.

[_-EDMIX-_]

....so I see you forget why MS actually bought this IP. lol.

Minecraft was successful based on selling well on MANY SYSTEMS!

Thats like thinking you can make COD money by buying The COD IP and then putting it on one system and expecting COD money...you know how stupid that idea is?

MS is not stupid. They bought Minecraft to MAKE MONEY!! They don't join in, in your little fanboy wars, they have no interest in making Sony cry or Nintendo cry LOL! They have a business in MAKING MONEY!

[aragon]

Seriously this is an article? Seriously? Let's say microsoft made this exclusive to microsofts platforms what would the reactions be? They did this to not alienate other platform holders because they bought the game not when it was already multiplat form and that would be a huge f u to the ps minecraft fan base if it was only on ms platforms, so now they put it on their because they are m$ lol u people crack me up tell u what all a yall on here saying ms did this for money tell the ps minecraft fan base not to support this content Ok..

[modelgod]

If you had shares, you wouldn't be asking why it isn't an exclusive because you'll have shares and it obviously sells more on multi-plats. You have no business sense whatsoever!!!!

[TheXgamerLive]

I don't understand the problem as Sony makes games for Xbox as well. Spiderman games for example.

[stuna1]

It's simple really! The more platforms, the more money. Especially looking at as a fanbase size perspective.

[SlappingOysters]

That is what I thought at first, but then why not release Halo and Forza on Sony, too then? I thought for these companies getting the install base of a platform up was important than an individual game's sales?

[stuna1]

I would say because Halo, Gears of War, and Forza were alway exclusive to Microsoft platforms or in certain situations PC's, but Minecraft didn't have that status, because it already on other platforms before Microsoft puchased the company.

[Gamer1982]

halo and Forza sell xboxs and can only be found on xbox plus didnt cost MS 2 billion. Minecraft doesn't sell xboxes. If they limited Minecraft to xbox only they could kiss most of that 2 billion investment goodbye as there's no way they would make that back as just an xbox 360/one game even if they sold a copy plus a single piece of DLC on every console.

The IP is to make MS money it's not about selling Xboxes HOWEVER! That doesn't mean MS won't give the Xbox an early release to maybe get a couple of sales for those massive fans who just cannot wait or a ton of exclusive "only on xbox" DLC. like master chief DLC. You know its going to happen.

[kayoss]

The reason why we dont see Halo and Forza on Sony system is because these are the games that makes the Xbox brand unique to its competitors. However, Like i said above. Make these timed exclusives to your own console first.

[jznrpg]

That is a companies decision not shareholders. If it made more money in the long run being a software division instead of hardware and software, shareholders would be all for it.

[LOL_WUT]

Also considering how much they paid to acquire Minecraft this was the most logical thing to do business wise ;)

[FryFat]

Keep your friends close, keep your enemies closer.

[shipnabottle]

I'm looking forward to whatever Notch does after Minecraft, with the security he now has to make whatever he wants. Potential is there to make some really interesting and innovative stuff given that from his mind came Minecraft

[PCGamingNoobs]

baring in mind when he sold minecraft he did say he wants to work on other projects for himself and if any of them pick up any kind of momentum he will ditch it as he doesn't want to be in that spotlight anymore.

so i doubt we will see anything from notch in a long time.

[ThatOneGuyThere]

he got stupid lucky with minecraft. he isnt a genius who knows how to design games. how many songs do you know by Don Mclean? yeah, just the one. Minecraft is notch's American Pie.

[christocolus]

its a great move on Microsofts part, a move that will definitly spur more sales. also bear in mind that minecraft has always been multiplatform and has a huge following on ios, android and pc platforms. its a good gesture to extend it to ps consoles too but i believe down the road there will be exclusive content or even brand new ips from mojang which will never be released on rival platforms. mc started out this way(multiplat) and has remained successful this way and Phil spencer recently stated that most of this decesions were made before the buyout so there really isnt any reason for MS to change that now.The bottom line for now is that Mojang and MS are happy with it being on multiplatforms and all those who get to play it on none MS platforms should be happy about that too.

[TimeSkipLuffy]

Earn more money? Simple as that. :D

[Newmanator]

Exactly - it's no different from Xbox One games running on Blu-Ray...Sony's Blu-Ray.

[smoothop]

Sony do not strictly own blu ray, people need to actually do a bit of research into that and they might learn a thing or two. Phillips, Panasonic and several other companies own and pushed the format.

[PCGamingNoobs]

whos the real winner.... sony!

[Hellsvacancy]

Er my daughter, she LOVES Minecraft, it would be a shame (on her part) if Minecraft: Story Mode didn't end up on the PS3 and 4, she wouldn't get to play it

But now she can, I guess I should be grateful that MS is allowing this

[ltachiUchiha]

Im more a playstation fan but how is Sony the winner here when MS is the ones cashing in on minecraft sales on playstation platforms? With all that money MS spent buying this franchise & the team behind it, why wouldnt MS want a game that sells alot like this on as many platforms they can get it on? In the end of the day its about making money for these corporations & if your game sells well on your competitors console, I dont see why they would keep a franchise like this exclusive especially after all the money they used to buy this franchise, unless MS hates money which is obviously not the case, this might be a good way for them to stay competitive even if their competitors outsell them which is actually smart business if u ask me especially if it pans out the way i think they are trying to go with this successful franchise.

Edit: Below u make a valid point but MS still makes more out of this then Sony. Also could be just the terms with mojang that ms made is the reason for it being on all platforms.

[PCGamingNoobs]

If they made it exclusive sony would get nothing. but with it being put on a sony platform as well, you think they will put it on there store and make nothing from it. microsft will have to pay sony to get it on the store and sony will get a small amount of the profit from the sales.

sony didn't pay for mojang so they haven't got $2.5 billion to make up for either.

[ltachiUchiha]

They pay for it to put it on that certain platform but its a one time fee. The percentage that sony gets from it isnt as much as u think compared to what MS makes from each sale. Im assuming that the reason MS left it multiplatform was to make up for the money they spent to buy the franchise and the team behind it. Once they break even im sure they will go exclusive with the franchise but as I said, this is also a test ground for MS to see if they can cash in on their competition despite owning the franchise but i can only see them leaving it multiplatform based off sales performance on other platforms. If it does well, MS may leave it multiplatform since this would be their multiplatform killer app. Its a win/win for them.

[MeliMel]

Lol.. Sony aint seeing money from this so how is it a win. Its just a good gesture on MS part. Dont want to alienate Minecraft install base on PS(cha ching $$$).

[PCGamingNoobs]

so Microsoft wont have to pay for a license from sony to publish their games on a sony platform? or give any royalties for the playstation sales? you think sony will have it on the PS Store for free (in terms of sonys labour to put it on the store?)

[NuggetsOfGod]

Actually MS smart lol

Psnow for xbox ?

[snookiegamer]

I read somewhere Mojang wanted their games on as many platforms as possible and stipulated in the negotiations and finalized in the contract prior to MS purchasing.

I can't remember where though, since it was a few months ago, otherwise I would have provided a link. IMO it makes the industry appear more mature when these one off's occur, and I wouldn't be against Sony publishing on Xbox under similar circumstances ..but that's just me ;0)

[ElementX]

MS said that they'd keep Minecraft multi-platform the way it is now, this really isn't surprising news.

[OtakuDJK1NG-Rory]

exactly

[OpieWinston]

Exactly... All the morons who are pretending it's for the money.

It's because Phil said they had no plans to effect Minecraft. But they said future Mojang titles weren't off the table for exclusivity.

[Femto]

Telltale? sign me up

[badboyz09]

Microsoft would make more money if they dropped Xbox.

[NuggetsOfGod]

Sony would make more money if they had more than ps4.
All the other products fail.

Sony makes most of its cash building and selling hardware.
MS makes most of it's cash selling copies of software lol

The amount of profit is probably insane. Same for minecraft on ps4.

[RyujiDanma]

badboyz would make more friends if he was smart

[vongruetz]

Microsoft is not making a game for Sony platforms. They're licensing their IP to Tell Tale who are making a game for various platforms.

Microsoft need to license Minecraft out as much as possible to recuperate the money they spent. ROI

[Ristul]

B/C Money

[PainUzumaki]

What if Halo came to PS4?

[Inzo]

"Microsoft Announces It is Making A Game for Sony Platforms - Why?"

Why? Because its business, simple as that.

[Predaking77]

PS4 market is something you can't ignore that easily. Sony has the biggest market share on the console market.

For the good of the game, I think Microsoft did the right thing.

[shotime97]

it's already on the ps4 why not add story mode there still gonna make money. I think it would be a dic*move not to

[feraldrgn]

They're interested in getting into making software rather than hardware, we got the leaked Xbox games service for PC a while back, so this shouldn't surprise anybody.
Selling Xbox/Microsoft games on a Sony platform would still make a profit.

[jXales]

Or the company had already announced and contracted a ps version before Microsoft purchased Mojang

[Spotie]

Seems likely.

[MrBeatdown]

Winner.

[DJStotty]

when microsoft bought mojang they stated anything minecraft in the future will be multi-platform. Why this is such a shock to anyone is mesmerising

[bmf7364]

Microsoft said that they are not infringing in Mojang's business with Minecraft. They know that there is no purpose in deluding a market that's already popularized outside of Xbox and that they won't make money if they make anything truly exclusive to Xbox. Maybe an upcoming new IP from Mojang will be X1 exclusive but the Minecraft IP "belongs to the people."

[asadachi]

Why? Without reading the article I would say money.

[Perjoss]

I guess they just needed a more powerful machine for this one.

/fireproofsuit

[qwerty676]

if they ever do a minecraft 2 i expect them to make it a timed exclusive with heavy marketing it for xb1.

[Tctczach]

It sure couldn't be that it is on almost every current entertainment platform......

[ScorpiusX]

okay just as long that it's this one game , no AAA games or no sharing of first party games . Don't care how many pl as t's you want to reach , only plats that need reaching are Xbox 360, xbox-one , MS mobile devices and the occasional PC game. That's it .

[cyber_daemonx]

Ooh the irony. Lol.

[GamerGT]

Kind of off topic but I wish there were games similar to Destiny or others where PS4 players can play with or against Xbox One players. Make rank and compare skills. Shooters, RPGs and MMOs. Built competition and cooperation. Just a thought.

[NeoGamer232]

Personally, I think this is a positive move for the industry no matter what terms were negotiated in the purchase of Mojang.

This may be the first step in getting rid of fanboyism that has plagued and hindered the industry. It should not matter what platform you own, you should be able to play the games you want to play. Whether it is Uncharted, TLOU, Mario, Zelda, Halo, or in this case Minecraft...

I would love to be able to only buy one console device and play all the best games!

[Revengeance]

Still wondering why M$ bought Mojang...

[OC_MurphysLaw]

The answer to your question is in your own question: Still wondering why M"$" bought Mojang. Its right there in front of you. :) Minecraft is and will continue to be a cash cow for years to come.

[RG_Dubz]

If M$ wants to make that 2.5 billion they spent back from a company (mohjang) who's highest earnings in a year were $140 million at it's peak.. They need Minecraft to continue being a cash cow for about 18 years. lol

$140 million x 18 years = 2.52 Billion.

And that's if they can maintain a yearly earnings of $140 million a year.

[OC_MurphysLaw]

definitely understood but remember the earnings potential for Minecraft and the brand association is all good for Microsoft on multiple devices/levels not just Xbox.

[tekksin]

agreements were probably already made

[S2Killinit]

MS making games is news enough. MS making games for Sony platforms is just weired. Are they exiting the console market?

[peshkavusCA]

They are making big $$$$$$$$$$ from $ony :)

[S2Killinit]

lol BIIIGG

[oSHINSAo]

it will be nice to watch Microsoft Studio logo one Sony consoles XD

[KillerResistance]

Its a good thing Microsoft and Sony aren't as salty to eachother as they used to be. Now Nintendo is another problem, lately they have been putting overconfidence in their Systems over others.

[Bigboss999]

Are we sure they are not trying to get ND?

[PsBoxGamer]

Sony would never sell ND.

[mochachino]

If I spent billions on a game I'd want to exploit money from everywhere possible. May not be great for xbox, but it's good for MS as a whole.

If MS took Minecraft away from all of its competitors like Google, Apple, Sony, etc. and kept it only on Windows phones, PC, and xbox they'd lose millions of users.

[Father__Merrin]

cheers for bringing your games to Sony, we applaud you :)

keep up the good work in supporting PS4 :)

...

[Tzuno]

They Troll Sony at the best, making money using competitor, ahahahhhh!!!

[Dubaman]

Sony releases games on PC. This is nothing new.

[chuckyj1]

There were agreements probably in place prior to MS purchasing the company... When Minecraft 2 is eventually announced it will be for the following formats:
iOS
Android
Windows
Windows Phone
MAC
Xbox platforms
-------------------------
I seriously doubt the next big Minecraft release will be released on Sony Platforms...well... Maybe the Vita, b/c MS doesn't compete in the hand held market.

[DougLord]

MSFT has said they don't look at Minecraft as a game they look at it as a programming software. I guarantee you they have a backdoor here. I'm not smart enough to know what it is, but they likely think of this as a Trojan horse that will allow them to dominate on Sony's platform like Office or various other MSFT products on iOS, OSX or Android.

You do realize MSFT owns everything you make in Minecraft, so they basically get a couple million programmers working for them for free to find the next big ideas.

[lodossrage]

This is probably like the deal Microsoft had to agree to when they bought Skype years ago.

Part of that agreement was that Skype be continued to allowed to work on any device the ALREADY were on before the deal, which is why it still worked on the PSP afterwards.

When Microsoft bought Mojhang, part of that deal could have been that the franchise be continued to be produced on any systems Mojhang was working with before the deal, hence why this new Minecraft game is on Sony and Apple products.

And it could explain why it's not going to Nintendo since Mojhang wasn't working with Nintendo before the buyout.

[Angerfist]

If you spend 2 billions you want to get your money back some day.
And by cutting out People you not autmoatically sell systems to those peoples.

[XanderZane]

Microsoft isn't stupid. Release these type of Minecraft games on every platform will help them to recoup the billions they paid for Mojang. I'm sure they want to get that money back as fast as possible. Expect a LOT of Minecraft games and DLC being released in 2015 on every platform that has Minecraft on it. M$ may still do some exclusive things on XBox and PC though in the future, but it won't happen right away. They don't need any back lash from the fanbase right now.

[StormLegend]

Awesome we'll take it!

[jay2]

Its obvious, it was already nearly done before they got bought to MS.

[ipach]

I tell you, Sony should totally have a PS Now app made for the Xbox and let the crazy cross-pollination ensue! they should totally put achievements on that sucker too that you get by getting a certain number of trophies while playing or something.

[Silly gameAr]

Oh, I thought it was going to be a game I would actually play, not Minecraft related. Not a big Minecraft guy.

[kenwonobi]

Testing the waters. Soon they will go the Dreamcast way. Stop making consoles and make games for Sony and Nintendo.

[PizzaSteve]

Agree. I think MS could make more money off Minecraft in just 6 months than what XB1 did in just the 1st year.

[PsBoxGamer]

Is it just me or am I the only one that wouldn't mind Sony and Microsoft working together on 1 Console...This would be EPIC!

[MultiConsoleGamer]

The project was already in the works before the deal was made. Microsoft will make back the money they spent on this company on this project and the lucrative merchandising for this franchise.

Then all of the sudden, WHAM!, Minecraft 2 PC and Xbox One exclusive. Bitter tears will follow.

[neomahi]

They need to recoup that money fast. Plus, by placing a Trojan horse in Sony's camp, they learn how Sony does things behind the curtain. Finally, Nintendo publishing Sonic was a bad example. Mine craft is new and it's not rooted in Microsoft or Xbox. To see Master Chief or Marcus Fenix on PlayStation, that would make gamers furious and crap their pants. This isn't anything like that.

[mastershredder]

Why = $

[optimus]

i never played this game, although i've seen my little cousin play it for a few minutes and was very engaged...i can't get passed the pixelated blocks that remind me of the 8-bit era... great for kids that weren't around that era i guess... won't really matter to me if it finds itself on the ps4 or anywhere else.

[Tales RPG addict]

I'm getting a PS4 later this year, but why do they ignore Nintendo Wii U. That console is getting better, and besides gamers can't ignore Xenoblade Chronicles X.

This game should be on Wii U.

[kwandar]

Simple Answer - Microsoft is buying the Sony Gaming unit, as Sony staves off bankruptcy.

[Gore-Content]

Wolf in sheep's clothing.

[ATi_Elite]

Strictly business.

ms needs to recoup 2.5 billion from the purchase of Mojang studio.

I expect to see Minecraft running on everything possible until that investment turns into profit.

That includes Apple Sony and heck even Obama phones lol.

[The7Reaper]

Well it's probably coming to everything else because Minecraft was for everything else before Microsoft bought Mojang and if they just made it exclusive too 360 and One it would king d of be a big slap in the face to people who bought Minecraft on PlayStation and PC but in the end it's all about money they don't care anything but the gold at the end of the rainbow

[DarXyde]

Probably because Microsoft spent a ton of money on Mojang and it's a great way to recuperate costs by targeting larger audiences.

This is not to say content won't hit Microsoft consoles first, however. It also doesn't mean future iterations won't be exclusive. It's a decent strategy on Microsoft's part, especially because they don't yet know if future titles will share Minecraft's success.

[Spore_777]

Lot's of "unMicrosoft" changes since Satya Nadella. This move makes total business sense and the best part for Microsoft, in general, is how they continue to claim that their interests lie in reaching everyone. You can see it with them adopting open-source and many other such incidents during the Nadella regime.

[Splatterpus]

These guys have just put up a good follow up article here http://n4g.com/news/1651621...