Thankfully, Nintendo has worked with Mojang to bring the sandbox experience to the Wii U by Christmas. It will start selling the game on December 17 for $30, with all of the features available in the other console versions.
Nintendo plans to launch new Minecraft content for fans in the near future, and this might include some Nintendo-themed skin packs and worlds. All DLC and skin packs available on other console versions will be available on Wii U, but downloads from other console versions will not be ported over to the Wii U.
Off-TV gameplay will be supported on the Wii U, allowing users to move from the TV to the Gamepad without an interruption to the game. The performance downgrade from the Xbox One/PS4 will not affect the in-game performance of Minecraft, meaning Wii U players should be able to build worlds of the same magnitude.
Aside from Telltale’s spin-off Minecraft: Story Mode, this is the first Mojang game to come to a Nintendo console. Surprisingly, Minecraft is still not available for the Nintendo 3DS, despite the handheld console selling more units than the Xbox One and PS4 combined, according to VGChartz. Nintendo did not reveal any plans to bring Minecraft to other Nintendo platforms.
This is the first platform launch for Minecraft this year, showing the disconnect between Nintendo and Mojang. We still don’t know if Microsoft or Nintendo caused the delay, or if Mojang simply didn’t value the Wii U platform. This will not be the last platform launch however, with the Oculus Rift and Microsoft HoloLens scheduled to receive the sandbox game in the coming months.
