Pulling ‘Minecraft’ From PlayStation and Nintendo May Be Xbox’s Biggest Gamble Yet

Microsoft is reportedly considering making Minecraft unavailable on PlayStation and Nintendo consoles, according to an Xbox Research survey. Such a move would reverse years of keeping the game on rival platforms and could push some players towards Xbox, but it risks alienating the millions who play elsewhere.

Microsoft bought Mojang in 2014, and Minecraft has since sold more than 425 million copies. The article frames the possibility against Xbox’s recent multi-platform releases, which it says have not generally delivered strong sales: estimates put Gears of War: Reloaded at about 572,000 PS5 copies and Halo: Campaign Evolved at around 351,000. Xbox hardware revenue fell 33%, while new CEO Asha Sharma has said exclusives are needed for the console to succeed; the survey suggests Minecraft could become part of that strategy.