Minecraft: Story Mode coming to Wii U this week

Minecraft: Story Mode's long-awaited Wii U version will begin rolling out this week, with the first episode, "The Order of the Stone," launching Jan. 21, developers Telltale Games and Mojang announced today.

Episode One will be released in the Nintendo eShop for $4.99 in North America and the equivalent price in Europe. The subsequent chapters will be available "in the coming weeks," Telltale said in a press release. Wii U owners will eventually be able to buy a season pass for episodes two through five for $19.99.

Telltale announced plans for a Wii U version of Minecraft: Story Mode last year, but released the game's first four episodes on other platforms — Android, iOS, Mac, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Windows PC, Xbox 360 and Xbox One — before offering details today about the Wii U release schedule. The Wii U versions of Minecraft: Story Mode will support GamePad features such as off-TV play and touchscreen control.

The arrival of Minecraft: Story Mode on Wii U represents the first time Telltale has released a game on Nintendo's latest console.

"Working with Nintendo, we're tremendously excited to be bringing our unique style of storytelling to Wii U for the first time, and we couldn't be happier to be kicking things off with a series like Minecraft: Story Mode that allows players of all ages to craft their own adventure across the Minecraft universe," said Telltale co-founder and CEO Kevin Bruner.

Minecraft: Story Mode is a Telltale adventure game based on Minecraft, the sandbox game from Mojang. Minecraft itself debuted on Wii U a month ago. Telltale's episodic series stars Patton Oswalt, Catherine Taber, Martha Plimpton, Scott Porter, Corey Feldman, John Hodgman, Paul Reubens and other well-known actors. For more on Minecraft: Story Mode, read our review of the first episode.