World-building indie gaming hit Minecraft finally got a solid release date this week, with the game's millions of fans finally able to say goodbye to beta when it’s officially released on the 11th of November this year.

Setting a release date for a constantly updated game such as Minecraft is a bit of a tricky situation, after all, new content is added continuously, so it's not like the 11 November build will be 'final' in any sense of the word. On his blog Minecraft creator Markus 'Notch' Persson explained it would be more of a milestone to get rid of the beta label, which the game has sported since December.

The more hawk-eyed among our readers will also have noticed that the date clashes with a number of other big name game releases, the largest being The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim. On his blog Notch stated, "It's the same date as a few other games and movies, and the one I'm the most excited about is Skyrim, so that will be a nice reward for me if we actually manage to hit that date.”

Minecraft Beta version 1.4 was released just last week, adding wolves to the game which players can tame as pets. Version 1.5, slated for release in the next two weeks (quite quick given the wait between previous versions), will include new features such as an Achievements list and game statistics. It will also introduce dynamic weather elements to the game, so expect rain, snow and even thunderstorms to accompany your next Minecraft adventure.

Notch recently said in a Reddit 'answer me anything' thread that Minecraft had made around $33 million in revenue thus far, and currently boasts over 1.8 million players. And that's with an advertising budget of zero.

 

Mass Effect anime movie announced

With the third (and purportedly final) game in the iconic Mass Effect series on the way, it's not surprising that Bioware and EA are planning to get as much out of the sci-fi franchise as they possibly can. Bioware, EA and FUNimation Entertainment today announced that an anime feature film based on Mass Effect is indeed on the way. Tokyo-based animation company T.O. Entertainment will serve as co-producers of the movie, telling the tale of “an epic science fiction adventure set in a vast universe filled with dangerous alien life and mysterious, uncharted planets."

No release dates have been announced as of yet, but unlike game to film adaptations, game to anime adaptations have a tendency to go down much smoother, so we're staying cautiously optimistic on this one.

 

Battefield 3 coming this November

While it's not exactly a concrete date, EA CEO John Riccitiello dropped the bomb on Battlefield 3's release date during his speech at the Ad Age Digital Conference in New York recently. The CEO stated, "This November, we're launching Battlefield 3. It's going up against the next Call of Duty, which is presently the #1 game in the game industry."

That means that this coming November, however faraway it may seem, is going to play host to a string of major releases, with Skyrim, Battlefield 3, Minecraft and possibly the annual Call of Duty title coming out in one month. If only we could hibernate for eight months this would be so much easier.

 

Resident Evil 15 year anniversary

Capcom's Resident Evil series holds a fond place in many a gamer's heart (the movies are another story), with the series today celebrating its 15th anniversary.

Created by Shinji Mikami and known as Biohazard in Japan, the Resident Evil series sports a ton of games on various platforms in addition to comic books, novelisations and of course Hollywood's take on the series.

If you happen to be among the most supremely devoted RE fans, Capcom has released a ton of anniversary merchandise, such as a replica of Chris Redfield's Samurai Eagle pistol. The air gun won't save you from too many zombies, but it is a replica of the highest caliber, made by Marui, Japan's premium air gun manufacturers. 1/6 scale models of Jill Valentine and Ada Wong are also being released later this year, and fans can also stack up on Raccoon City police department gear such as replica caps, badges and t-shirts. Good luck finding any of these outside of Japan though.

Something we all can enjoy is this 15th anniversary trailer which Capcom released this week, showcasing footage from the HD versions of Resident Evil 4 and Resident Evil Code: Veronica X, as well as the upcoming Resident Evil: The Mercenaries 3D and Resident Evil: Revelations for the Nintendo 3DS. We also caught an extra glimpse at the upcoming Resident Evil: Operation Raccoon City, set to be the next big console release in the series.