Minecraft Vita Release Date Confirmed for US and Europe

UPDATE: Sony revealed today that the US will be getting the Vita version of Minecraft earlier than the EU release. Minecraft on Vita will sell for $20 online starting on Tuesday, October 14. The game should be available at retail locations in the US beginning tomorrow.

Sony also notes several cross-buy options for players who want to extend the experience to their PS3/PS4:

• If you digitall purchase the Vita version, you'll be able to download the PS3 version for free on the same account and you can pay $5 for the PS4 version.
• If you buy the retail Vita version, your game will include a pack-in voucher code that provides digital access to the Vita and PS3 versions, and you can also upgrade to the PS4 Edition for $4.99.

• If you already own Minecraft on PS3 (physical or digital), you'll be able to automatically download the Vita version for free. But you're out of luck if you've previously bought the PS4 edition; "Only the PS3 and PS Vita Editions are eligible for the cross-buy offer."

The original story appears below.

The long-awaited PlayStation Vita edition of Minecraft will launch across Europe on Wednesday October 15, its developer has revealed.

Scotland-based developer 4J Studios, which is handling the port of Markus Persson's breakthrough indie game, revealed the release date on its official Twitter page.

A release date for North America has yet to be announced, but because the game's code has now passed certification tests at Sony, it's likely to be close to Europe's.

The release date is further confirmation that the PS Vita version of Minecraft will not be cancelled, by neither Sony nor Microsoft, despite the latter software giant purchasing the IP.

In mid-September, Microsoft announced it had agreed in principal to acquire Minecraft and its developer Mojang in a deal believed to be worth $2.5 billion. As part of that deal, the studio's three founders--Markus Persson, Carl Manneh, and Jakob Porser--will be leaving the company.

At the same time, Microsoft assured that it would not be wiping any versions of Minecraft from Sony's devices such as PlayStation 3 or PlayStation 4. Sony, which retains the right to remove the games from its platforms, has not suggested that it is willing to delete any of the games.

Since its initial release in 2009, Minecraft has been downloaded more than 100 million times on PC alone. The Xbox 360 and PS3 versions, released between 2012 and 2013, are still proving popular, with both games regularly holding their spot in the UK all-format top ten.