Daily Gaming Briefing: Minecraft's New Dimension and Industry Updates
Today's headlines cover a major expansion for Minecraft, significant legal developments in Nintendo's piracy battle, and ongoing shifts within the Xbox studio ecosystem.
Minecraft Announces The Sift
Mojang has officially revealed 'The Sift,' the first new dimension coming to Minecraft since The End was introduced in 2011. The new realm will join the Overworld, Nether, and The End.
Players on both Java and Bedrock editions can expect the update to arrive in 2027.
Nintendo Wins Piracy Judgment
A US District Judge has ordered James Williams, known online as 'Archbox,' to pay Nintendo £3.4 million ($4.5 million).
The default judgment follows a lawsuit regarding alleged Nintendo Switch piracy, to which the former Reddit moderator failed to respond.
Industry Shifts at Xbox and Sony
Reports indicate that recent Xbox layoffs have heavily impacted the Age of Empires development team, resulting in the cancellation of their upcoming project.
Separately, Sony has filed a patent for a PlayStation controller capable of accepting credit card and mobile touch payments, though this remains a patent filing and not a confirmed product.
Sources
- Minecraft is getting its first new dimension in 14 years, and it's called The Sift (eurogamer.net)
- US court orders Redditor to pay Nintendo £3.4m over Switch piracy (eurogamer.net)
- Latest Xbox layoffs reportedly devastated Age of Empires developer and canceled its next game (pcgamer.com)
- Sony patents PlayStation controller that accepts credit card payments (videogameschronicle.com)