Chalk this up firmly in the rumours column, but firmly in “absolutely going to happen” as well.
The European gaming ratings board, PEGI, has posted a rating for Minecraft: WiiU Edition, and it lists a November 12th release date. For those not paying attention, that’s the same day (today) as Nintendo’s new Direct presentation.
There’s little reason to think that this is a mistake given it is a complete listing, including Microsoft studios listed as the game’s publisher, the appropriate criteria for why it received its rating of PEGI 7, as well as its genre as a puzzle game.
The game will likely be much closer to the tablet and Vita versions of the game as the traditional console versions do not have touchscreens as input. They may also end up bringing the game to 3DS, though in what capacity is currently unknown as there is no rating for a portable version of the game on Nintendo’s handheld.
We expect Nintendo to confirm this information in its Direct presentation, as well as potentially announce a tie-in with Super Smash Bros. by making Steve from Minecraft a new fighter in Nintendo’s massive franchise.
It also wouldn’t be outside the realm of possibility to see a new holiday bundle including Minecraft: WiiU Edition bundled in with a console, likely to boost sales of the mega-franchise on the fledgling console through the holiday season. A Steve amiibo could also be in the works for the bundle, giving the (currently unannounced and non-existent) bundle a good value proposition.
Stay tuned for everything from Nintendo’s announcement later this evening!