There was another Minecraft surprise announcement Thursday in addition to the Title Update 19 (TU19) release for Xbox consoles. Telltale Games and Mojang announced a partnership to bring an episodic story adventure to PlayStation and Xbox consoles, the PC, and mobile devices in the same vein as The Walking Dead and Game of Thrones .
“‘Minecraft: Story Mode’ will be an all-new narrative-driven game series developed by Telltale in collaboration with Mojang. Set in the world of ‘Minecraft,’ the series will feature an original story, driven by player choice. It will not be an add-on for ‘Minecraft,’ but rather a separate stand-alone product that will premiere in 2015 on consoles, computers and mobile devices,” Telltale announced in a blog post .
“Telltale’s game series will mix new characters with familiar themes, in an entirely original ‘Minecraft’ experience, inspired by the ‘Minecraft’ community and the game that continues to inspire a generation.”
Mojang had its own unique take on the announcement by releasing Info Quest II , an interactive press release that answers many questions. The first one that crossed my mind was the language and violence that Telltale has become known for with all of its releases since the first The Walking Dead series.
“Not to worry,” says the Wild Mojangsta of the interactive press release.
INFO QUEST II is now playable! https://t.co/6mhL5J8bSu
— Owen Hill (@Bopogamel) December 18, 2014
“Telltale’s game will feel similar in tone to Minecraft itself, though it’s a totally original take, inspired by our game.”
Mojang explained the reason for the story-based collaboration by saying, “We’ve begun to realize that there’s a massive demand for fiction set in the ‘Minecraft’ universe. People love engaging with the world, whether they are building, adventuring, or role-playing an awesome creeper slayer.
“The tricky bit is working out how to explore a story without diluting Minecraft itself,” the Mojang release continued. “A Telltale game set within the world is one way to delve deeper without laying down official lore. It’s one interpretation of the world and its logic!”
Don’t expect to play as Steve though. Minecraft: Story Mode will feature all new characters set in the game’s world. Don’t be surprised to see a Steve cameo though.
Minecraft: Story Mode will likely be released in the latter half of 2015. Game of Thrones and Tales from the Borderlands both recently released their first episodes and the former runs six episodes. Expect Minecraft to come in the months afterward.
Are you interested in a Telltale Games spin on Minecraft ? Why or why not? Sound off in the comments below.
[Images via Telltale Games, Mojang]
