Minecraft remains one of the most popular and most played (and most viewed) games of all time. It’s something that’s basically been on every platform and in the new age of crossplay, it’s also been one experience that’s become more and more unified as time has gone on, which was one of the purposes of the Bedrock Edition of the game. There has been one big exception to that with the PS4, but now even that bridge has fallen.

As announced by the PlayStation Blog, the Bedrock Edition will launch tomorrow on the system. The game will not only unify Sony’s system with multiple other ports, it will also allow the PS4 version of the game access to the Minecraft Marketplace to purchase skins, worlds and a variety of other things.

The PlayStation 4 version of Minecraft Bedrock Edition will launch December 10th and those already with the PS4 version of the game will get a free update, though you will be required to have a Xbox Live account.

Minecraft has been one of the biggest sensations in gaming ever, and if you have any doubts that it’s not an international success, the game managed to do something Microsoft has never been able to do in the major gaming market of Japan: Be successful.

As reported via Famitsu, Minecraft on the Nintendo Switch is the first retail release from Microsoft that has broken 1 million copies sold in the country. The physical copy released on June 21st 2018, though there was a digital release a year prior, so the total sales are higher. It’s also the first retail game to break 1 million on Switch from a third party.

It’s interesting to think about as one of the biggest successes Microsoft has had in the country is via Nintendo and the Switch. But it’s less about the company and more just the universal appeal of Minecraft and how it translates easily from culture to culture. This isn’t even the first time Minecraft managed to break a million retail, as the Vita version did in Japan as well but that was before Microsoft took over publishing duties in the region.

Lots of things are happening with Minecraft this year. We know that they’ll release Minecraft Earth, an Augmented Reality version of the title, and we also know about a dungeon crawling spin-off, Minecraft: Dungeons. We hadn’t heard anything about that game since its announcement last year, but now we’ve got some details on what to expect- and it’s definitely something a little different for the series.

Sitting down with Game Informer, Executive Producer David Nisshagen talked about the game’s combat, levels, and class system. The game will have procedurally generated levels that span all the various Minecraft environments. The game will have classes, but these will simplified compared to other games of this nature. It will be based on your armor over stats. Those who pick up heavy armor are ready to be tanks, those that pick up lighter armor can easily be ranged attackers.

Enchantments are in the game as well, with weapons having multiple enchantment options as you pick them up. You can chose which enhancements to add to your weapons, depending on your playstyle or the area around you. The developers hope that coupled with easy armor options, this will allow players to be able to customize their experience without excessive menu use.

“Think of it like this: A sword drops. The sword has a couple of different enchantments options,” Nisshagen explains. “You pick one of them and enchant it with that. The next sword drops. It has the same look and feel and combat animations and all of that stuff, but it has different randomized enchantments attached to it. One of them can be super powerful for area of effect attacks. The other could be, I don’t know, poisons enemy over time. Even if it’s the same base item, they have vastly different properties on them.”

Minecraft: Dungeons will release this year exclusively on PC.

While Virtual Reality is what many game companies are jumping into one way or another (even Nintendo is getting in on that action), Microsoft has decided to focus on Augmented Reality. Not long ago we talked about their teases for a AR version of the behemoth game franchise, Minecraft. Well, now, the game has been announced, being called Minecraft Earth. It’s more than just a simple AR spin-off however- it’s promising the entire Minecraft experience.

The game will use a map interface as players walk around the real world to put a Minecraft theme on everything. While it’s similar to other AR titles in that regard, such as Pokémon GO, it’s much more elaborate. It will feature “Tappables,” which are tasks you do to unlock blocks to build things either on your own or with other players. One example given at the demo event (as transcribed by Game Informer) was walking down the road and seeing a mining opportunity on the pavement, which you will do to get your materials. You will use that material and your phone’s touch screen to build structures in Minecraft fashion, even letting you place them in the real world around you to leave for other players. The developers also say this isn’t just a spin-off, it’s the whole Minecraft experience in a different way.

“We didn’t build a new Minecraft to fit AR. We didn’t reduce it. We didn’t take it away. We didn’t remove features. It is the game you know, the features that you’re used to – the mobs, the landscapes, the redstone – all those things are here for you to use.” 

Minecraft Earth will launch some time this year for both iOS and Android devices. Take a look at the official reveal trailer below.

Kenny Rosenblatt of Arkadium stated, “These are the first games we are releasing as part of the multi-year, multi-game partnership with Microsoft Studios that we announced in January. We have taken strong evergreen titles and worked on transforming them into new experiences that make game play even more addictive and fun.”

The three in question are: Solitaire Collection, Minesweeper and Mahjongg. So let it not be said that Arkadium’s work won’t be recognised (though a good many may not know it was them who did it). But the new versions will also offer customized content, new modes of play and touch controls for devices.