Minecraft for Wii U (Mojang Photo)
Minecraft for Wii U (Mojang Photo)

Minecraft is coming to Wii U on Dec. 17, checking off one of the last remaining gaming platforms without the title.

wiiucontrollerThe Microsoft-owned game franchise is already available on PC, Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Playstation 3, Playstation 4, Playstation Vita, Windows 10, Windows Phone, iOS, Android and Amazon Fire.

It’s hard to imagine that an industry giant like Nintendo would be one of the last to get the wildly popular game, but here we are more than three years after the struggling Wii U was released.

The game will cost $29.99 and comes bundled with Minecraft’s six most popular add-on packs. It will use the Wii U’s unique controller with a built-in screen to enable a new type of experience that stretches across two displays.

Mojang, the company behind Minecraft which was acquired by Microsoft last year for $2.5 billion, says it will start rolling out constant updates for the Wii version — just like like it does for all its other platforms.

Building is easy in Minecraft, without painful LEGO feet
Minecraft

The release will be welcome news for those who have a Wii U, as Minecraft’s popularity really can’t be overstated — especially with younger audiences. It’s one of the top-selling video games of all time, with more than 70 million copies shipped.

The Wii U, meanwhile, has been limping along for years and is all but eliminated from this generation of the console wars. The timing is a bit odd since Nintendo’s next console, codenamed the NX, is rumored to be in the works for 2016. But if Nintendo and Mojang have finally formed some sort of bond, there could be more releases to come.

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