There were plenty of people who thought the purchase of developer Mojang by mega-publisher Microsoft was signaling the end of Minecraft’s appeal of universality. Speculation within the gaming community was rife with claims that Microsoft may entirely stop developing for anything outside of the Microsoft family of systems — or worse.
With all of those fears trumped up at the time, it seems like a day-and-night difference with how Microsoft is truly handling the property — principally with the Better Together Update, coming free to Windows 10, mobile, Nintendo Switch and Xbox One. Announced at Microsoft’s E3 Press Conference, the news took the gaming community and Minecraft fanbase by storm; as the name implies, gamers would have the option to cross-platform play with friends (as long as they weren’t on the PlayStation family of systems).
While the Better Together Update with the original plan to launch before the end of the summer — it seems that estimation has been pushed back. According to the Minecraft Better Together Update FAQ, the update is planning on coming to Xbox One, Nintendo Switch, mobile and Windows 10 around Fall 2017.
There is no indication why the update has been delayed, but perhaps it has to do with possibly incorporating the PlayStation 4 version into the initial roll out. There is no indication that progress has moved forward, however the FAQ had this to say about their talks with Sony:
we are still in discussions with Sony about PlayStation and have nothing to confirm. We would love to work with Sony to bring players on PlayStation 4 into this ecosystem as well.
Either way, everyone who owns the Windows 10, mobile, Xbox One or Nintendo Switch version of the game can expect to receive the update for free. However, those purchasing Minecraft after the release will have to purchase the new Better Together Edition — the original Minecraft: Console Edition will be removed from the respective marketplaces.