Minecraft mini-games coming to Xbox, PlayStation and Wii U in June

Hugely popular on the PC version of Minecraft, multiplayer competitive games are coming to console, starting with a battle mode

For years, PC owners have been able to load up Minecraft, find a server and play a variety of mostly fan-made mini-games, set within the blocky confines of Mojang's creative masterpiece. From competitive survival tests to giant hide n seek challenges, participants can compete with and against friends in online sessions. So far, the console versions of Minecraft have not supported this feature. Until now.

In June, 4J Studios, the Dundee-based developer behind the Xbox, PlayStation and Wii U versions of the game, will launch a free update to the console editions of Minecraft featuring the first in what they plan to be a series of mini-games. They're starting off with the simply named Battle, an eight-player deathmatch in the last survivor is the winner.