Notch Can’t Quite Believe Minecraft for Xbox 360 Breaks 1 Million Copies

Minecraft continues to be played, and continues to sell. The new Xbox 360 editions already sold over 1 million copies.

The release of Minecraft for the Xbox 360 has broken the record for most digital sales. Ever

Just this month, Trails Evolution broke the XBLA records for digital sales. That’s an impressive achievement, and Trials Evolution is a great game, but Minecraft has broken the record all together: since launching on May 9, the game has sold a million copies and over 5 million hour have been invested into the game.

Specifically, 5.2 million hours have been logged playing Minecraft for the Xbox 360 with 4 million multiplayer sessions and 2.4 million hours spent in online multiplayer. Additionally, during just the 24 hours since launch the game sold 400,000 copies. That makes it the fastest selling game on Xbox Live Arcade ever. The Call of Duty of the digital world?

It’s no surprise, really: the PC version of Minecraft has sold millions of copies, was a worldwide phenomenon before the official 1.0 release and even sparked its own gaming convention – Minecon. Bringing that experience to a console audience where they can player offline four-player multiplayer and online multiplayer is an instant win, even if the build is around a year old.

What’s a Minecraft?

That shouldn’t be such an issue if Mojang – the development studio, headed by Markus “Notch” Persson – gets its way though. Before the Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition release monthly updates had been suggested to bring to game in line with the PC version. The obstacle is Microsoft’s strict update process, which takes a while to process update. Whether Microsoft will flex the rules for Notch and co. remains to be seen.

iOS and Android apps are also available, called Minecraft: Pocket Edition. These versions are scaled back, offering small worlds and less enemies. The core crafting mechanic is the same, though.

If you don’t know what Minecraft is – wait, where have you been? Minecraft has been available since 2009, and is built around an open world – every player’s world is different – and mine and craft to survive. The game works in day-night cycles, with enemies appearing during the night that will kill you. Players aim to mine resources, grow food, craft weapons, build houses and explore. All before bedtime.