‘Minecraft’ PS4 And Xbox One Editions Won’t Have Bigger Multiplayer At Launch
Minecraft: Playstation 4 Edition and Minecraft: Xbox One Edition are both scheduled to be released in August. However, a recent statement from Microsoft’s lead producer indicates that the anticipated larger multiplayer won’t be ready at launch while 4J Studios has confirmed how much bigger the world sizes will be compared to the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions.
The following tweet from Microsoft’s Minecraft Lead Producer Roger Carpenter shows that the PS4 and Xbox One Editions of the game will start off the same size as the existing PS3 and Xbox 360.
#minecraftxbox1 will be 8 player at release but we will continue working to allow more players in a future update!
— Roger Carpenter (@PopsRamjet) July 7, 2014
This will be disappointing news for Minecraft fans since the Xbox One Edition was announced with a “Bigger Worlds! Bigger Multiplayer! More Minecraft!” tagline at the 2013 E3 convention in Los Angeles.
Since 4J Studios is developing the two games side-by-side, this means that the PS4 will be limited to eight players as well. This isn’t the only feature that won’t make it to the launch of Minecraft on the next-gen consoles. While you will be able to transfer your worlds from the PS3 and Xbox 360 to the PS4 and Xbox One, 4J Studios may not have the option to increase the world size at launch. Speaking of world size, 4J Studios confirmed that Minecraft: PS4 Edition and Minecraft: Xbox One Edition will have worlds that are up to 36 times larger than the PS3 and Xbox 360 editions.
@DRAGONMASTER412 The worlds on Xbox One and PS4 will be up to 36 times the area of the PS3/Xbox 360 worlds. — 4J Studios (@4JStudios) July 11, 2014
The studio previously stated that they were testing worlds that were 36 times larger before E3. Now it appears that they’ve settled on the exact size. The ironic part is that Minecraft: Pocket Edition for iOS and Android smartphones and tablets just received an update that includes infinite world sizes.
Texture packs, skin packs, and mash-up packs that were purchased for the current Minecraft releases can be used with the upcoming releases too. The majority of the packs will transfer over to the next-gen consoles with the exception of the Marvel-themed packs due to licensing issues.
Minecraft: Xbox One Edition, Minecraft: PS4 Edition, and Minecraft: PS Vita Edition are all scheduled to launch sometime this August. Existing Xbox 360 and PS3 owners of the game can upgrade to the next-gen version for $5 while PS3 owners will get the PS3 version for free.
