Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says the firm’s in-development HoloLens augmented reality headset was a key reason behind buying Minecraft.
Redmond handed over a whopping $2.5 billion last year to take control of the block-building game and its developer Mojang.
“Let’s have a game that, in fact, will fundamentally help us change new categories,” Nadella told the New York Times in an interview.
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Microsoft has yet to show off any real games for the platform yet, but
seeing the HoloLens version of Minecraft will sure raise excitement in
the community.
Microsoft debuted the latest version of the head-mounted HoloLens technology at Build 2015 this week, blowing the minds of many industry figures in the process.
Rather than throwing users into a VR world like the Oculus List, the self-contained reality headset projects images on top of real life objects.
Read more: What is HoloLens?
This week Microsoft unveiled the Windows Holographic Platform, which allows users to create a home hub, placing Windows universal apps wherever they want them. If users are rocking a Windows 10 app like Skype on HoloLens, they’ll be able to say “Follow Me” to get the content to follow them around the room.
There’s no news on the price or release date for the HoloLens yet, but the NYT quoted one Microsoft executive who claimed it would cost “significantly more” than a games console like the Xbox One.
There have been recent hints that a developer version is on the way, but a consumer launch is through to be long on the horizon.