Minecraft is a
sandbox independent video game originally created by Swedish programmer
Markus "Notch" Persson and later developed and published by the Swedish company
Mojang since 2009. The creative and building aspects of
Minecraft allow players to build constructions out of textured cubes in a
3D procedurally generated
world. Other activities in the game include exploration, gathering
resources, crafting, and combat. Multiple gameplay modes are available,
including
survival modes where the player must acquire resources to build the world and maintain health, a
creative mode where players have unlimited resources to build and the ability to fly, and an
adventure mode where players play custom
maps created by other players.
The
alpha version was publicly released for
PC on May 17, 2009, and after gradual updates, the full version was released on November 18, 2011. A version for
Android was released a month earlier on October 7, and an
iOS version was released on November 17, 2011. The game was released on the
Xbox 360 as an
Xbox Live Arcade game on May 9, 2012, on the
PlayStation 3 on December 17, 2013, on the
PlayStation 4 on September 4, 2014, on the
Xbox One the next day, and on the
PlayStation Vita on October 14, 2014. On December 10, 2014, a
Windows Phone version was released.
[14] All versions of
Minecraft receive periodic updates, with the console editions being co-developed by
4J Studios.
