Since the purchase of Mojang last year, Microsoft has done a remarkable job of both keeping their distance from Minecraft development, and helping it grow. While they haven't (at least to public knowledge) forced the developers to do anything they didn't want to, they have helped speed along development with Pocket Edition.
But at Minecon 2015, possibly the biggest surprise was a brand new edition of Minecraft - designed from the ground up for Microsoft's new Windows 10 operating system coming out later this month. Well, "built from the ground up" isn't exactly accurate, Mojang Pocket Edition developer Tomaso said this about the game on Reddit:
So essentially Minecraft Windows 10 Edition is (like Mojang previously said) based on Pocket Edition, and uses Pocket Edition code. Mojang (and Microsoft) aim to not only keep Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Edition using the same codebase, but still work towards adding every feature PC edition has. In an update for Windows 10 Edition arriving shortly after the first beta release, you will even be able to play with Pocket Edition players.
But hidden between quotes from the developers is something even bigger than Windows 10 Edition. Mojang and Microsoft, using Pocket Edition's C++ code to start with, are working towards re-implementing PC Edition in something other than Java. This is major news, and Windows 10 Edition could eventually replace the current Java edition.
Probably the most worried players are Minecraft owners on Mac and Linux, obviously because 'Windows 10 Edition' is exactly what is sounds like. But the Mojang developers tried their best to put out the fires of angry Linux users, with Tomaso saying this:
This could mean that Windows 10 Edition, or at least the codebase, is planned to be released on other platforms later in the future. For the first time ever, all Minecraft players could play together with the same features. But of course this has another downside - unless Microsoft supports it, the modding community could die out. We shall have to see how Microsoft's vision for Minecraft plays out, and where it leaves anyone without Windows.
But at Minecon 2015, possibly the biggest surprise was a brand new edition of Minecraft - designed from the ground up for Microsoft's new Windows 10 operating system coming out later this month. Well, "built from the ground up" isn't exactly accurate, Mojang Pocket Edition developer Tomaso said this about the game on Reddit:
This version IS pocket edition. It's based on PE, it's C++, and we mean to keep it on par forever. It is NOT another version of Minecraft! Also, we're aiming for feature parity! We won't have mods for now, but the important thing is that you know it. Also, both PE and Win10 support all controllers. Xbox Live is not required. It's compatible, but the 7 people limit is only there because it's PE! It's just that there isn't a dedicated server right now.
So essentially Minecraft Windows 10 Edition is (like Mojang previously said) based on Pocket Edition, and uses Pocket Edition code. Mojang (and Microsoft) aim to not only keep Pocket Edition and Windows 10 Edition using the same codebase, but still work towards adding every feature PC edition has. In an update for Windows 10 Edition arriving shortly after the first beta release, you will even be able to play with Pocket Edition players.
But hidden between quotes from the developers is something even bigger than Windows 10 Edition. Mojang and Microsoft, using Pocket Edition's C++ code to start with, are working towards re-implementing PC Edition in something other than Java. This is major news, and Windows 10 Edition could eventually replace the current Java edition.
Probably the most worried players are Minecraft owners on Mac and Linux, obviously because 'Windows 10 Edition' is exactly what is sounds like. But the Mojang developers tried their best to put out the fires of angry Linux users, with Tomaso saying this:
We support Linux, it runs on Linux, in fact this codebase runs literally everywhere and that is the entire point! Don't be afraid :)
This could mean that Windows 10 Edition, or at least the codebase, is planned to be released on other platforms later in the future. For the first time ever, all Minecraft players could play together with the same features. But of course this has another downside - unless Microsoft supports it, the modding community could die out. We shall have to see how Microsoft's vision for Minecraft plays out, and where it leaves anyone without Windows.