The new Minecraft for the Playstation 4 and Xbox One may start hitting shelves in the coming weeks, as its developer 4J Studios finalizes plans for release. Earlier, 4J announced on Twitter that the Minecraft PS4-version was undergoing trials at Sony right before the imminent launch date.
"We've handed Minecraft: PlayStation®4 Edition over to Sony for final test," 4J tweeted on Tuesday, Aug. 12.
The game develop will eventually release the newest Minecraft for the Xbox One, Playstation 4, and Playstation Vita. However, the launch has been delayed due to bugs detected in all three editions of Minecraft.
"We're still fixing #MinecraftXbox1, #MinecraftPS4 and #MinecraftPSVita bugs," explained 4J via Twitter. "We'll let you know when we hand over to the [certification] testing teams!"
Although 4J has not confirmed the exact release date, rumors suggest that Minecraft on next-gen hardware will be ready in August. If their prediction is accurate, players should expect the game within the next two weeks. In May, gaming site Mojang released pricing information for the Xbox One and PS4 versions of Minecraft.
Microsoft, the Xbox One creator, announced that it will sell Minecraft through its Xbox Live Marketplace for $20. As part of an offer that expires in 2015, owners of the older Minecraft Xbox 360 edition will be able to buy the newer version of the game for just $5.
Sony, which manufactures the PS4, has yet to reveal the release date for their version of Minecraft. For now, the Japanese tech giant is cooperating with 4J in finalizing the game for launch. Like the Xbox One version, both the PS4 and PS Vita edition of Minecraft is selling for $20. Gamers still playing on PS3 will be able to update their copy of Minecraft for $5.
Despite its age, Minecraft continues to remain popular since its first release on the PC in 2011. Players have extended the game's longevity by developing custom modification content that adds new skins, maps, and campaigns. To date, Minecraft has sold 54 million copies across multiple platforms.
