Now that Telltale Games has basically let go almost all of its staff we're starting to get quite a few stories from behind-the-scenes about the production of various games, alternate endings, a lot of postmortem details about various projects, including Guardians of the Galaxy and Minecraft.
Minecraft Games
After years of re-releasing the game on various platforms and mobile devices over the years, Microsoft has introduced a brand new Minecraft experience set to be unlike any of the previous games so far, and it's called Minecraft: Dungeons. 
It was only a matter of time before Microsoft began edging Mojang away from supporting the old seventh gen systems when it comes to new content and updates for Minecraft. Well that day has finally arrived, and the next big update for the game will be the last for the legacy consoles. 
The release of Minecraft on the Nintendo Switch has a weird caveat: in order to use the online multiplayer mode for cross-play, you need an Xbox Live account. Well, it's been revealed that playing the game on the Switch can also earn you Xbox Live achievements. 
One of the most popular shows on television (or streaming services, I should say) is Netflix's Stranger Things. The second season for the popular, retro-style show is underway, and Mojang wanted to celebrate that milestone by doing something a little special in Minecraft. 
A number of games have been or will be on the receiving end of some Halloween special events, updates, content patches and special treats. Some of these games have announced their Halloween specials well in advance, but others have only just recently made it known that they will be getting in on the frighteningly festive events. 
Mojang is now rolling out the new cross-platform compatibility, enabling gamers across different platforms to play the game together. The first iteration of the Better Together update is currently available for Xbox, mobile, and Windows 10 gamers. 
We had reported previously that Mojang and Microsoft were serious about the cross-platform playability for Minecraft, bridging together gamers across various game consoles and mobile devices to play together in one instance. Well, the first iteration of the cross-play beta is now underway. 
Microsoft made a huge announcement during the E3 press conference at this past year's E3 in Los Angeles, California. The announcement centered around Minecraft becoming unified across all major platforms and devices, and there's a special requirement in order to make use of the feature on the Switch. 
Telltale Games is revisiting one of the properties a lot of people probably didn't expect to see get a second season: Minecraft: Story Mode. The studio announced that a second season is indeed coming in a five episode story arc that continues Jesse's adventure from the first season. 
Minecraft is now available on the Nintendo Switch, completing the cycle to make it available on literally every gaming device known to man. However, some differences have been noted between this latest version and the one available on other platforms, including the fact that it only runs at 720p. 
Minecraft is finally going to offer a way for players to receive compensation for the time and effort they put in to crafting legendary creations. Get ready to discover the Minecraft Marketplace. 
When people make games they usually build them as separate platforms and then advertise that they're available. In the case of Pokemon Cobalt and Amethyst, the fan-made game was built inside of Minecraft and it's not just a spiffy mod, it's a total conversion that's fully featured. 
Some people build houses in Minecraft. Others, on the other hand, like to build insane contraptions that leave us all staring in wonder. For instance, one guy recently built an Atari 2600 emulator because, heck, why not? 
The LEGO Group, Warner Bros., and TT Games' LEGO Worlds is currently going through the Early Access phase on Steam and is expected to launch in early 2017, but when it graduates Early Access it's expected to release on more than just PC. 
Thanksgiving is right around the corner, which means the biggest shopping day of the year, Black Friday, is hot on its heels. With a ridiculous number of deals being offered at pretty much all major retailers, the folks over at Toys R Us have revealed what they will be making available in the gaming department and, yep, some of this stuff might be worth waiting in line for. 
Fireblade Software recently announced a single-player, seafaring adventure game called Abandon Ship. It's a gorgeous new naval title themed around light-fantasy adventures on the high seas, where players will face off against other vessels and even mammoth creatures from the deep. 
Black Friday is set to get underway later this month where a bunch of games and consoles are expected to be discounted by a great amount. In fact, some outlets have already begun to slash prices on the PS4 and Xbox One. 
It should come as no surprise that, depending on where you are in the world, the population is head-over-heels for very specific games. According to a recent study from YouTube, though, quite a few odd choices are making the biggest noise in very specific regions across the globe. 
All these years later and Minecraft is still going strong. Over on the console front, the developers are gearing up to launch a brand new update in October, and they've even put together a spiffy trailer to show off what's in store. |
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