The Apple TV version of Minecraft has been removed from the tvOS App Store, due to less than spectacular sales.
Existing Apple TV players of the game, which has proven to be popular on other platforms, were met with the following announcement when launching the game:
Effective from Monday, 24 September, the Apple TV version of Minecraft will no longer be updated or supported. We’re grateful to the Apple TV community for their support but we need to reallocate resources to the platforms that our players use the most. Don’t worry though, you can continue to play Minecraft on Apple TV, keep building in your world and your Marketplace purchases (including Minecoins) will continue to be available.
The $19.99 Apple TV version of Minecraft debuted during Apple’s October 2016 keynote, where its potential for cross-platform play was promoted by Apple CEO Time Cook. “You can build new worlds on your Apple TV, and play with your friends using iPhones and iPads,” said CEO Tim Cook.
Developer Steve Troughton-Smith mentioned the removal on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/stroughtonsmith/status/1049577360129966080
The removal of Minecraft from the tvOS App Store is just another indicator of the lack of interest by developers in creating games for Apple’s set-top box.
Developer Mojave says Minecraft: Story Mode, an adventure game based in the Minecraft universe will continue to be available in the tvOS App Store, and that it will offer full refunds to users who had purchased Minecraft: Apple TV Edition during the last 90 days of its availability. Contact Apple Customer Service online or call 1-800-692-7753 to get more information about refunds.
(Via MacRumors)
