It looks like Microsoft could be gearing up to release a native Xbox Series X/S version of Minecraft.
As spotted by VGC contributor Andrew Marmo, Minecraft was classified for Xbox Series consoles in Germany earlier this month.
Currently, the Xbox One version of the game is playable on Xbox Series X/S via backwards compatibility.
One feature that could potentially be supported in an optmised version of the game for Xbox Series consoles is ray tracing, which Microsoft has been teasing since before the platform’s launch in 2020.
Last March, developer Mojang inadvertently included prototype code for ray tracing support on Xbox consoles in a preview build available to Xbox Insiders, before quickly removing it.
“This early prototype code has been removed from Preview and doesn’t signal near future plans to bring raytracing support to consoles,” it said at the time.
Microsoft announced on Thursday that it will be closing the Xbox 360 Store next year. The ability to buy new games, DLC and other entertainment content from the Xbox 360 store will end on July 29, 2024.
More than 220 digital Xbox 360 games will no longer be available for purchase following the store’s closure, VGC analysis shows.
