Minecraft‘s been a long time coming to Sony’s passed-over PlayStation 3, and I’m guessing most of you haven’t waited, more than happy to noodle with the game on a Linux/Windows/Mac PC, mobile phone or that other console, which it’s called home since May 2012. But yes, after years of waiting, during which time Minecraft‘s consumed nearly every non-PS3 platform (like Galactus cataloging a seven-course meal — one that crazily includes Raspberry Pi) Mojang’s block-digging compulsion will grace the PlayStation Store’s e-shelves on December 17.
Mojang’s almost rubbing it in on Sony’s PlayStation blog, referring to Minecraft as the “game that’s sold over 30 million copies to date” (all without Sony’s help, is the implicit second part of that sentence).
But Sony’s technically sold slightly more PS3s worldwide than Microsoft has Xbox 360s — somewhere in the vicinity of 81 million and counting. That’s some prime untapped real estate, and Mojang notes that the game is also coming to PlayStation 4 and PS Vita sometime in 2014. Microsoft had the game locked up on Xbox 360 forever, and — I’m not sure this point’s clear yet — it may be a timed exclusive on Xbox One, where it’s due to show up at some point next year, too.
Mojang says the PS3 version is identical to all the other versions, and that subsequent iterations “will be developed in tandem from now on.” The company says it’s considering adding platform-specific skins and texture packs for the PS Store, but no guarantees. And I’m not sure it matters, given the identical thing, but Mojang says it can’t guarantee Remote Play support on the PS4 (with the Vita) at this point.