Nintendo finally released Minecraft Wii U Edition at long last, and of course the big news immediately started an entirely predictable argument: Is Minecraft Wii U Edition too late to the game to matter? But man, this is a silly one. First of all, the question of whether the game is too late isn’t really important: It’s not going to save the Wii U, but it never would have; it’s going to sell lots of copies, but that was always its destiny. Second, Minecraft Wii U isn’t even really the point. The future of Minecraft isn’t with the Wii U; that much is true. The future of Minecraft is on the Nintendo NX.
Minecraft Wii U Might Be Too Late, But That’s Not The Point
(Dammit, Nintendo! Why didn’t you release an official trailer?)
Minecraft Wii U Edition, available now, is definitely a long time coming: The PS4 and Xbox One versions came out over a year ago, and the previous-gen versions are a good bit older still. Nintendo is definitely behind the curve, and it doesn’t help that the company is charging an extra $10 for its version (granted, it’s throwing in a half-dozen skins gratis). Still, its killer feature—off-TV play—is a total gamechanger, the only feature that won’t be available in any other version of the game, including the PC version. It’s reason enough to buy the game, although it’s a shame we didn’t get inventory management on the GamePad.
What would it mean for Minecraft Wii U Edition to be “too late?” The game could never singlehandedly turn the Wii U around—Minecraft is a hugely successful indie game that’s available on tons of platforms, and the Wii U isn’t actually doing that badly anyway. Minecraft doesn’t need to move consoles. Having a Wii U Edition, though, will definitely help the game win some new fans. Nintendo systems are still the first console of choice for many parents of younger kids, so having such an iconic game on the system can only help out. Trust me, Minecraft Wii U Edition will sell very well—not necessarily compared to the PS4 or Xbox versions, but compared to other eShop releases.
But it doesn’t even really matter. Minecraft Wii U Edition isn’t a one-off—it’s the beginning of a relationship between Nintendo and Microsoft/Mojang. That’s why Telltale’s Minecraft Story Mode is coming down the pipe too. And it’s why I think that Minecraft could be a launch title for the Nintendo NX. The Wii U Edition is a blast, but it plays just as important a role laying the groundwork for the future. And besides, at least people won’t be able to complain about Minecraft not being on Wii U anymore. The game is worth it for that reason alone.
