Minecraft could change XBLA update process for Xbox 360

Minecraft for Xbox 360 could spark some changes in the Xbox LIVE Arcade update process.  Anybody who has played Minecraft for PC is probably aware of the fact that the game gets updated often, at least more often then the typical Xbox 360 game. So obviously when the Minecraft port comes to Xbox 360 something has to bend.  Will it be Minecraft or Microsoft?

According to chief technology officer at 4J Studios Paddy Burns, the developer handling the XBLA port of Minecraft, it looks like it will be Microsoft changing their ways as Minecraft could be the first Xbox 360 game to do "constant updates".

"Microsoft knows that to do a similar thing that's on PC where they constantly update it, that's a very difficult thing to do on Xbox because you have to go through the full tests," Burns told Edge. "But they are quite keen to move towards that – they do see it as the future, so I think we might be the first to do constant updates."

The plan for Minecraft, Burns said, is to release a conversion of the PC's beta 1.6.6 version and then continually release updates to eventually catch up with version 1.0, the official "final" release of Minecraft on PC.  Of course, that would require a more streamlined, quicker certification process – something Microsoft is not known for.

While the approval process could speed up, Burns warned that users shouldn't expect the Xbox 360 version to receive updates as frequently as its PC counterpart.

"I don't think it'll ever come to that," he said, when asked if 4J would be releasing updates on its own terms. "I think that there will always be Microsoft testing involved.

"But the whole turnaround of that testing they're hoping to speed up, so we can maybe roll out very two months. We'll have to see how that goes … I'm really looking forward to it being updated with patches and new features after it's released."

As for the release date of the XBLA version of Minecraft, Mojang's Daniel Kaplan revealed, "Microsoft has said late winter, and I have to say the same.  Late winter or early spring, something like that."