Universal app for iPhone and iPad lets you build as you travel

Nov 18, 2011 10:22 GMT  ·  By

Mojang has rolled out Minecraft - Pocket Edition for iPhone, iPad and iPod touch, a stripped-down version of the sandbox building video game originally written in Java by Swedish creator Markus "Notch" Persson.

Now owned by his company, Mojang, formed from the proceeds of the game, Minecraft was first released to the market May 17, 2009, with a beta version on December 20, 2010.

An installment for the Xbox 360 with Kinect support is under development by 4J Studios and delayed until 2012. The iOS version is out today!

“Imagine it, build it. Create worlds on the go with Minecraft - Pocket Edition,” reads the official description over at the iTunes App Store.

According to Mojang, “Minecraft - Pocket Edition allows you to build on the go. Use blocks to create masterpieces as you travel, hangout with friends, sit at the park, the possibilities are endless. Move beyond the limits of your computer and play Minecraft everywhere you go.”

Key features listed by the developer include: randomized worlds; the ability to build anything you can imagine with 36 different kinds of blocks; LAN play where you can invite and play with friends on the world you created; and the ability to save multi-player worlds locally.

The binary is “universal”, meaning there’s a native version for both iPad and iPhone (as well as iPod touch). The game requires iOS 4.3 or later.

Although it’s been in the iTunes App Store for less than a day, it’s already topping the charts, though not all reviews are positive. For example, many customers are complaining that there appears to be no crafting component or mining - “you can only build stuff,” says a player identified as theButterFly on the iTunes App Store.

However, the version number indicates the game is yet to receive a ton of updates, which means more features are on their way from Mojang. The title is priced at $6.99 (5,49€).

Download Minecraft - Pocket Edition for iOS