I just finished up our Sony Ericsson Xperia Play review, and as far as I was concerned, the biggest measure of its long-term success would be how many game developers adapted their titles to its signature hardware gaming controls. Even though the Xperia Play doesn’t launch in the U.S. until tomorrow, there’s already a strong stable of games available, and now one more significant title will be added to the pile: Minecraft. Minecraft Pocket Edition will have a degree of exclusivity to the Xperia Play, but the game is still scheduled for iPhone and other Android handsets later this year. Pricing hasn’t been announced, but you can expect the game to be changed a fair bit to fit the mobile experience (and hardware limitations).
Minecraft is a bit of an oddity in the PC gaming world. It’s basically a building simulator, where you explore a blocky, 3D, 8-bit-style world, tear out blocks of various materials, and use them to assemble structures and craft objects. Although that’s awfully sandboxy, there’s a more “game-y” element to it too, where you have to fend off zombies and other enemies at night time using crafted weapons. It’s been undergoing a lengthy beta, initially released back in May 2009, but despite that, it has already sold 2 million units and made tens of millions in sales. As far as I’m concerned, the real selling point for Minecraft is multiplayer, which allows you to collaborate with friends to build just about whatever you want.
It’s great having the big-name developers bringing top-notch titles like Assassin’s Creed to the Play, but indie developers have a certain charm and imagination to them that you just don’t see in the bigger publishers. If Sony Ericsson can win them over and get them to create compelling and unique games for the Xperia Play, then their new smartphone gaming strategy stands to be a huge success. Any hardcore Minecraft players out there pumped to try this out? Would you buy an Xperia Play just to get it on mobile first?