Editorial: Could Minecraft be the PlayStation Vita's killer app?

Earlier this year, 4J Studios announced that a PlayStation 4 port of Minecraft is in development. Later they announced that Minecraft would also be released for the existing PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita consoles. Sony's PlayStation 3 already has a huge amount of top-quality games including, but not limited to, Bioshock Infinite, The Last of Us, Grand Theft Auto IV/V, Call Of Duty, LittleBigPlanet, and many more.

The game library of the PlayStation 4 is much smaller, due to the fact that the console has not even been released yet. Games to be available at launch include Call of Duty: Ghosts, FIFA14, Assassin's Creed IV, and out favorite game Minecraft.

Let's focus on the PlayStation Vita, Sony's successor to the widely-popular PSP handheld console. The PlayStation Vita hasn't been a runaway success, due in part to it's price, and also in part to it's game library. The most popular games include Uncharted: Global Abyss, Call of Duty: Black Ops Declassified, LittleBigPlanet, and FIFA 13. Only one game for the Vita has sold more than one million copies worldwide (Uncharted).

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rG5l78gbvpU

Back in September, Sony announced the PS Vita TV, a third-tier PlayStation console. The Vita TV has the ability to not only stream games from the PlayStation 3/4 and function as a home media device, but by using a DualShock 3 controller, can actually play games designed for the PS Vita. The PS Vita TV is expected to be released in 2014 from anywhere to $99-$150 (official price has not been announced).

Now think of the potential Minecraft could have on the Vita as a platform. Minecraft is just as recognizable as Call of Duty or LittleBigPlanet. When Minecraft is released for the Vita, it could potentially convince Minecraft fans not interested in Call of Duty or FIFA to buy a PS Vita. Minecraft, especially Minecraft Pocket Edition, is an extremely popular game with children. The PlayStation Vita and Vita TV could become a hit with parents wanting to buy a cheap gaming console for their children wanting to play Minecraft. If all your kids want to play is Minecraft, why buy a $200-$400 full-featured console for one game?



Minecraft has an enormous amount of potential to become the PlayStation Vita's 'killer app', or in other words, a single game that consumers will buy a console particularly to play it on. New Super Mario Brothers and Pokémon was the Nintendo DS's killer apps, for example. If 4J Studios creates an excellent port, and promises to continue updating it like the Xbox version, Minecraft may very well turn the tides in PS Vita sales.

(concept art created by us)