Minecraft coming to Windows Phone and Windows 8.1: Xbox Chief, Phil Spencer

Vamien McKalin, Tech Times 22 September 2014, 09:09 am

Minecraft is coming to Windows Phone and Windows 8.1 in the future folks, and it is all because of Microsoft's purchase of Mojang not too long ago. This is big news for those who are yet to play the iconic video game that has brought out the creativity side of many gamers.

After taking Mojang under its wings, Microsoft did not confirm that Minecraft would make its way to Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone. We knew it would come eventually, but it would have been great if Microsoft had said something.

However, Xbox Chief Phil Spencer placed all fears to rest on Friday after he confirmed that Minecraft would be brought to Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone. Unfortunately, Spencer did not clarify as to when fans should expect this, but we believe it could happen before the end of 2014 if the team put enough work into making it happen.

Spencer made the announcement on Twitter, after a fan asked, "Phil, would you promise to bring Minecraft to your own platforms/devices (Win8.1 Surface / WP8.1 L1520)?" To this, Phil Spencer gave a simple but power answer, "yes."

How will Microsoft bring Minecraft to Windows 8.1 and Windows Phone?

If Halo: Spartan Assault is anything to go by, the company could likely go the route of its new universal app approach. This is basically an app created once to run on every Windows related device with little or no additional coding.

Going this route worked well for Halo: Spartan Assault, and we believe it would work the same wonders for Minecraft as well.

Microsoft announced that it purchased Mojang, the creators of Minecraft on Monday for a whopping $2.5 billion. Some believed that Microsoft would cease and desist support for Android, iOS, and the PlayStation line of consoles. However, the company shocked everyone by releasing a statement claiming that all platforms will still be supported.

We can't say the same for Minecraft 2 or any other game Mojang is working on right now. It is well within Microsoft rights to only support its own platform going forward, and we see no reason why the company would decide not to go that route.