Xbox Disputes Relevance of Minecraft Series X Ratings to Release Strategy

Microsoft has responded to recent ratings board listings for an Xbox Series X|S version of Minecraft, stating that these listings do not necessarily indicate plans for a current-gen release of the game.
The US Entertainment Software Ratings Board and Germany’s video game rating board, USK, recently classified Minecraft for Xbox Series consoles.

In a statement to VGC, a Microsoft spokesperson clarified that such ratings are a routine part of the approval process with various regional rating boards. They emphasized that the recent rating doesn’t imply the imminent arrival of new versions or platform support for Minecraft.

Currently, Xbox Series X/S players can access Minecraft through backward compatibility with the Xbox One version. However, an optimized version of the game for Xbox Series consoles could potentially support features like ray tracing.

In the past, Mojang, the developer of Minecraft, accidentally included prototype code for ray tracing support on Xbox consoles in a preview build for Xbox Insiders. Despite this, the company clarified that the inclusion of ray tracing features in the prototype did not signify immediate plans to bring ray tracing support to consoles.