'Minecraft' Super Duper Graphics Pack, Switch Cross-Play Delayed
Sad news for "Minecraft" fans as the sandbox video game's Super Duper Graphics Pack has been delayed. This was announced by the game's developer along with the news that cross-platform play for the Nintendo Switch will also not arrive until 2018.
During MineCon Earth, Mojang revealed that there is still a lot of work to be done for the graphics upgrade pack and as a consequence, its release has been pushed back from this year to yet unspecified date in 2018. The same goes for cross-platform play for Nintendo's hybrid console.
Both the Super Duper Graphics Pack and Switch cross-platform play were originally announced back during this year's Electronic Entertainment Expo. The latter was part of the Better Together update which allows for cross-play which had already been released on Xbox One, Android, iOS and Windows 10.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Instead, the biggest upcoming update in terms of the game's graphics is The Update Acquatic, which refines underwater adventures by adding new water physics (such as buoyancy), dolphins, coral and a water-appropriate weapon (the trident). No release date has yet been announced for the update though.
While the graphics update delay is definitely a bummer for "Minecraft" players, it's definitely not the end of the world. After all, the game's hook wasn't it's mind-blowing graphics but rather its sandbox gameplay that allowed enormous player creativity.
The Switch update as well was more than a little ambitious. It's definitely understandable that Mojang might need more time since it's going to take a while for a world-building game to grow significantly beyond its roots.
For now, "Minecraft" players can look forward to a new mini-game, Death Run, to Minecraft later this year. Announced during MineCon, Death Run pits players in a race through a map, overcoming obstacles, avoiding traps, and showcasing their parkour free running prowess as they race to the finish. Better start practicing those running skills as Death Run is coming very soon.
