Microsoft is adding Minecraft to the Xbox Game Pass subscription service in the latest example of the company’s move into cloud-based gaming.
Minecraft, the popular game with 91 million players that Microsoft acquired for $2.5 billion in 2014, will be available on Xbox Game Pass on April 4.
Microsoft first launched Xbox Game Pass this past June, charging gamers $9.99 per month ($1 for the first month) in exchange for access to download more than 100 Xbox One and Xbox 360 games. In January it expanded the program to include first-party Xbox-exclusive titles like Halo, Forza, Gears of War, and others.
Beyond the console: Xbox leaders detail Microsoft’s gaming future, led by xCloud streaming service
Sony has its own similar program called PlayStation Now, which streams more than 750 PS4 and PS3 games, including exclusive titles, to users for $100 per year.
GeekWire sat down with Xbox executives last week to learn more about the future of Microsoft’s gaming arm. The company is plowing resources into developing a streaming service powered by its cloud computing technology. Microsoft aims to let people play its games not just on Xbox devices and Windows PCs, but also smartphones and tablets, and eventually, rival consoles.
Microsoft also announced today that Halo: The Master Chief Collection is coming to PC and Halo: Reach will be added to the collection. Microsoft is working on the newest Halo game, called Halo Infinite, but does not have a release date.
Microsoft is also reportedly building a new, digital-media-only edition of the Xbox One.
