Xbox boss: 'Partnership with Nintendo has been great' for Minecraft

Following the news this week about Super Mario Bros.-themed DLC coming to the Wii U version of Minecraft, Xbox boss Phil Spencer has spoken up to praise Microsoft's partnership with Nintendo.

Writing on Twitter, Spencer said working with Nintendo has "been great," and that he's happy to see Minecraft do "so well" on the Wii U.

"Partnership with Nintendo on this has been great," Spencer said. "Nice to see Minecraft doing so well on the Wii U and to get the Mario content."

Microsoft paid $2.5 billion to acquire the Minecraft franchise and developer Mojang back in 2014.

Some wondered if Microsoft would continue to support Minecraft on non-Xbox consoles after the buyout -- and that has indeed been the case. While some DLC is made available only on Xbox platforms, the PS4/PS3 and Wii U version of Minecraft receive content updates and DLC.

After Microsoft announced Minecraft for Wii U, some wondered if that could pave the way for more Microsoft-published games, like Rare Replay, on Nintendo's console. The official Microsoft Studios Twitter account even directed people to ask Rare about it. However, Rare quickly shut down these rumors, confirming there are no plans for Rare Replay on any console beyond Xbox One.

The free Super Mario Mash-Up Pack comes to the Wii U version of Minecraft on May 17, featuring 40 themed skins for characters like Mario, Luigi, and Princess Peach, as well as bad guys like Bowser, Wario, and all of the Koopalings. There is also 15 songs from Super Mario 64, as well as new, Mario-themed textures.

You can read this post to get the rundown of everything included in the pack, while the image gallery includes a series of pictures from the DLC. When the physical version of Minecraft comes to Wii U in June, the Super Mario Mash-Up Pack will be included in the $30 package.