"I don't want us to go and try to make it something it isn't. But I do think it has room to grow."
- Microsoft Head of Xbox Phil Spencer on the future of Minecraft In a new podcast with IGN, as transcribed by GamesIndustry.biz, head Xbox man Phil Spencer discusses what the company plans to do with Minecraft. It's some of the first public word out of Microsoft since it confirmed it'd acquire the mega-hit's Swedish developer Mojang last month. Spencer alluded to the fact that the various versions of Minecraft for console, PC, and mobile offer different experiences, and said that he and Matt Booty, GM of the company's Redmond game studios and platforms, are talking about how to "bring that whole system together a little more." That's the first suggestion that the direction of Minecraft will be driven from outside Mojang, though Spencer was quick to downplay that, saying, "I think we earn permission to do other things with Minecraft when we meet the Minecraft community's desires around what the franchise is." What will happen to Minecraft under its new ownership hinges on the larger issues around the world-beating game. Gamasutra's Kris Graft put some thought into what Minecraft really means to Microsoft in an editorial we published shortly after the acquisition announcement, which you can read here.
