Despite adding little to the original PC release, the Xbox 360 version of cult indie-legend Minecraft has reportedly broken 1 million downloads just one week after its launch on the Xbox LIVE Arcade, breaking all previous digital release records.
This success can likely be chalked up to the new, more easily reachable fanbase that the Xbox’s online and multiplayer capabilities offers. Whereas online play on the PC involves being somewhat tech-savvy, with the purchase or creation of a web server, the Xbox version introduces local split-screen multiplayer and more streamlined online capabilities – players already racking up an impressive 2.4 million hours on these modes.
Time well spent? Yes, as far as I’m concerned.
The game’s creator, Markus ‘Notch’ Persson offered a typically lighthearted assessment of this newfound success through his twitter, stating ‘Uhhhh, Microsoft just sent out a press release saying Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition has sold a million copies in five days. Wow.’ He went on in a later tweet to regret that he is ‘not quite iron man rich yet.’
If you’d like to see what all the fuss is about yourself, you can grab a download for 1600 MS Points and get hooked – though I wouldn’t recommend doing so if you plan to leave your house in the next few months.

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