4J Studios announced that Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition surpassed 5 million sales on New Year’s Eve. It was already the most successful XBLA game on the Xbox 360, but crossing 5 million sales is a major accomplishment regardless. In fact, there are some retail titles that would kill to have even half those numbers. It just shows that Minecraft is still tremendously popular on whatever system it’s on.

So, what is 4J Studios up to now? The developer is working on the bugs reported in Title Update 7, and will be addressing them in a patch to be released this month. One such fix is that 4J will ensure that every new world will include a Nether Fortress, Blazes and Nether Wart.

Beyond that, the future of Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition looks bright. 4J Studios will continue to provide updates that will add more features from the PC version. After they catch up, it’s anybody’s guess as to what happens next. It would be interesting to see 4J Studios flex its creative muscle and add some original features unique to the console version of the game.

Along the same line, it would be awesome to see 4J Studios add new features that then make their way to the PC version of the game. It would only be natural to see the two teams work together to improve the Minecraft experience for everyone – regardless of platform.

[h/t: Joystiq]

PlayXBLA announced today that Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition would be getting Title Update 7 soon. It will bring many features from version 1.0.1 of the PC version including experience, animal breeding and a lot more. Here’s the full list of additions:

A few features that originally appeared in version 1.0.1 of the PC game will not be appearing in title update 7 on the Xbox 360. The most glaring omission is “The End” scenario that has players fighting an Ender Dragon. It’s been delayed until the next title update. Other omissions include ocelots, jungles, spawn eggs and Iron Golems.

As for changes from the PC version, 4J Studios notes that experience will work a little differently in the Xbox 360 version to speed up gameplay progression. Players will now only need 30 XP per level instead of the PC’s 50. Players will earn XP through mining, smelting, and breeding. The team also notes that Ender Pearls will teleport and can be thrown in Creative Mode.

There is no release date for title update 7 just yet. That could possibly indicate that it won’t be out before the end of the year. That being said, 4J Studios could deliver a Christmas miracle and get it out while everybody actually has the time to play it during their holiday break.

Over the weekend, 4J Studios published another big list of changes and fixes coming to Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition in the coming weeks.

Changes and Additions:

Fixes:

There’s no solid release date for the above fixes, but it sounds like the update will be coming your way soon. 4J Studios, however, has been answering questions about the latest update and dropping some more details about it on Twitter. The developer said that villagers will be in the next update, and that the recipe for golden apples will use gold ingots for now.

In other Minecraft news, the PC version of Minecraft just passed another major sales milestone as reported by Notch on Twitter.

Follow @notch

Markus Persson
@notch

The PC version of Minecraft just passed 8 million sales! My face is making grinning sounds, so I assume it’s grinning!

 Reply  ·  Retweet  ·  Favorite
5 hours ago via web · powered by @socialditto

Back in September, Minecraft Xbox 360 Edition surpassed 4 million total sales. Across the two platforms, Minecraft has now surpassed 12 million total sales. That’s a great number for anybody. As far as indie success goes, Mojang is clearly on top. It’ll be hard to replicate that success, but Scrolls and 0x10c are both looking mighty fine.

Capcom announced at New York Comic-Con that Darkstalkers Resurrection would be hitting XBLA and PSN early next year. The game collects Night Warriors and Darkstalkers 3 into a single package. It’s similar to the recently released Marvel vs Capcom Origins, but better only on the basis of it being Darkstalkers. Here’s the first trailer:

It should be noted that this is the first Darkstalkers release since the PSP launch title – Darkstalkers Chronicle: The Chaos Tower. Sure, characters from Darkstalkers have shown in up other titles like Marvel vs. Capcom 3, but it’s been too long since these guys have had their own game. Here’s hoping the success of this title convinces Capcom to make an all new Darkstalkers title.

The game will be released on XBLA and PSN early next year for $14.99. It will feature the netcode that powered Street Fighter III’s online multiplayer.

In a new video released Monday, 4J Studios details update 1.8.2 which brings new food types to the world of Minecraft. The video shows that beef, grain, chicken and other food types are now available to players. Survival mode should be much more manageable now.

When can you expect to see the latest update to Minecraft hit XBLA? 4J Studios has been rather candid on their Twitter feed in regard to that very question.

Follow @4JStudios

4J Studios
@4JStudios

We’re working hard fixing bugs in our 1.8.2 build – think we have a week or two to go before we can hand it over for Microsoft Cert Testing

 Reply  ·  Retweet  ·  Favorite
21 hours ago via TweetDeck · powered by @socialditto

Certification usually takes another week or two, so we can expect to see the newest update of Minecraft hit XBLA in about a month. 4J Studios promises that they will also release a full list of updates and bug fixes once they submit the latest version to certification. Besides food, you can expect the much awaited Creative Mode to ship with the latest update. Players will finally be able to

Now that you know that I’m jealous of all you Xbox 360 owners, let’s take a look at the awesome games you get to play starting in July:

First up is Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD on July 18. As the name suggests, it’s an HD remake of the classic extreme sports title that kicked off a nationwide obsession. Many gamers, including yours truly, are excited for the release because it brings the franchise back where it belongs – big air, big tricks and Superman by Goldfinger playing on repeat. The game features levels from Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1 and 2, but the developers have not ruled out other games in the franchise getting the HD treatment later down the road. Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD will run for 1200 MS Points ($15).

Next up on July 25 is Wreckateer. The Kinect powered arcade game was outed at Microsoft’s E3 2012 conference. Players will use the connect to launch boulders and other projectiles at castles trying to destroy them. It looks like 3D Angry Birds which could be a good or bad thing depending on who you ask. Wreckateer comes in as the cheapest game of the pack for only 800 MS Points ($10).

August is kicked off right with the launch of Deadlight. The title is a beautiful 2D action adventure title that plays with shadows. It has a heavy focus on story and looks to be one of the best titles coming out on XBLA. Deadlight will go for 1200 MS Points ($15).

Coming August 8 from Scribblenauts developer 5th Cell comes Hybrid, a third-person shooter from the traditionally family-friendly developer. Don’t discount the title though as it looks fantastic. It’s a super fast and frantic third-person multiplayer sci-fi shooter that nails the speed of titles like Vanquish. Hybrid will go for 1200 MS Points ($15).

The last game hitting Summer of Arcade is definitely not the least by any means. Dust: An Elysian Tail is a side-scrolling action-RPG created by one person. It’s a beautifully animated game that should have the 2D action and RPG fans excited.

With the exception of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD, all of these titles are exclusive to Xbox 360. I guess that means that I’m going to have to suck it up and buy another Xbox 360 one of these days. As an aside, if you buy any three of the above games during the Summer of Arcade, you’ll get 400 MS Points ($5) back.

Here’s a sizzle reel for those who couldn’t be bothered to watch each game’s respective trailer:

Thats the reveal for all of you Tony Hawk Fans. The once vaunted skating game has a new sequel coming to the Playstation Network and Xbox Live in June.

Developer Robomodo is tackling Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater HD and it is a remake featuring select levels from the first two games, which originally debuted on the PS1.

Tony Hawk games all but disappeared after the combination of Skate being amazing, and Tony Hawk Ride with it’s ridiculous skateboard controller being terribly awful. Maybe this remake will make people excited about this franchise again?

The countdown to launch will soon commence and be broadcast live through facebook.com/Awesomenauts and twitter.com/Ronimogames.

If you dont know what the game is about, here is a video of the gameplay and a sort description from Ronimo about the game:

“For those surprised by this sudden burst of Awesomeness, it’s about a game. A downloadable game. An awesome downloadable game that contains backstabbing chameleons, giant exploding robots and yes, laser wielding flying monkeys. These heroes battle it out in teams of 3 in split-screen and/or online! In this sidescrolling MOBA they will be blasting enemy robots and heroes, upgrading their gear and destroying enemy structures on their way to victory!”

Ronimo Games initially came together under the name of Banana Games in 2007. In 2009 after selling the distribution rights to THQ for their game “de Blob’” they rechristened theirselves “Ronimo” which is a collaborated name that takes the first part of Robaot Ninja Monkeys.

Microsoft has announced what it’s next promo is and when it will start. Today we learned that it is called “Arcade Next” and that it will launch April 18th. The promotion has 4 main pieces to it that it plans to release every Wednesday through May 9th.

Trials Evolution

“Trials Evolution” is a sequel to the award winning “Trials HD” and features customizeable levels. The game lloks like a mix between “Excite Bike” and “Pain.” The game is set to be released on April 18th and will cost 1200 Microsoft points.

Bloodforge

“Bloodforge” is an areana type fighter from developer Climax that has you controlling what looks to be a viking fighting hoards of enemies. The game has a great visual style and is very gruesome. This game is set to be released on April 25 and will cost 1200 Microsoft points.

Fable Heroes

“Fable Heroes” is the third game in the “Arcade Next” series. The game is a side scrolling beat e up with “borderlands” cell shading art direction. It does have 4 player co-op which is cool. The game is set for release on May 2 and will cost 800 Microsoft points.

Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition:

What is pretty much the behemoth of these games, Minecraft for the 360 is being announced. For those of you who don’t know what Minecraft is, check out this video to see what can be done with these simple blocks:

Minecraft for the 360 is set to be released on May 9, and will go for 1600 Microsoft Points.

PopCap Games announced today that Zuma’s Revenge!, sequel to XBLA hit Zuma, would be coming to the service this summer. The sequel expands upon the original game by adding new features that expand the original game into new territory. The list of features include:

- Extend your gameplay experience in the new and exclusive Boss Rush and Weekly Challenge game modes
- Enjoy updated 2012 gameplay: No more lives, no more checkpoints and no more game over
- Discover and befriend 4 all-new Spirit Animal companions
- Earn Spirit Badges on every level and use them to power up your Spirit Animals
- Dominate your friends on a whopping 74 leaderboards
- Experience remastered HD graphics
- Unlock 20 Xbox LIVE achievements
- Flaunt 2 tiki-themed awards for your Xbox LIVE avatar

Removing the risk of failure and calling it “updated 2012 gameplay” irks me to no end, but that’s another rant for another day. The rest of the features seem to jive with what modern console gamers want out of their puzzle games, especially the leaderboards.

If you’re new to Zuma and it’s admittedly addictive gameplay, check out the launch trailer for the PC version. Just image it’s in hi-def with some shiny new bells and whistles. Zuma’s Revenge hits XBLA this summer for 800 Microsoft Points ($10).