Notes

Microsoft has Acquired Minecraft For $2.5 Billion



Microsoft has acquired Minecraft For $2.5 Billion
Microsoft has confirmed that Mojang and Minecraft will join its ranks, however, it will continue to make the game available across iOS, Android and PlayStation as well as on Xbox and PC, the company announced today. Microsoft says that they started their conversation around making the game available on the Xbox console after which they saw their tremendous success and made the decision to purchase the game to "diversify [its] game portfolio."



The founders Markus "Notch" Persson, Carl Manneh and Jakbok Porser have left Mojang after the acquisition that the team announced. Mojang's official website confirmed that the purchase cost was $2.5 billion. In their post the Mojang community team declares that Notch was hesitant to control this hugely powerful company, and would rather work on smaller projects. The decision was made to allow Minecraft to continue to grow while allowing the original team to pursue other interests.



Mojang isn't able to provide any guarantees about the specific future plans that are in the pipeline for Minecraft however, it states that for the moment, it will remain as normal. Microsoft claims that it "respect[s] the brand and the spirit of independence" of Minecraft and will continue with projects like MINECON the annual convention focused on the game begun by Mojang in 2010.



The reaction of the community to this news will be mixed. Minecraft fans who have been playing the game since its inception will likely be skeptical of the new corporate owners. However, the logic behind the purchase is solid. We'll have the opportunity to see whether Notch will be able to repeat the feat and also to see if the next generation's Lego version.



Here are his thoughts on the deal and his decision to quit the company he built. This is from his blog, which had been down for a while when this article was written. :



I'm leaving Mojang



I don't see myself as a true game developer. I make games to have amusement and because I love programming and games. But I don’t create games with the goal of making them a huge hit. I also don’t want to change the world. People are raving about how Minecraft has revolutionized the world. I didn't intend for it to do either. It's a nice compliment, and it's fascinating to slowly be in the public spotlight.



A long time ago, I decided to quit Minecraft development. Jens was the ideal person to lead the project and I wanted to try new things. While I tried to make it a big at first but it didn't work out. But, since I decided to stick to small-scale prototypes, interesting challenges and I have enjoyed so much at work and haven't looked back since. I wasn't exactly sure what I was supposed to do in Mojang where people did actual work, but since people told me that I was important for the culture, I decided to stay.



I was at home with a cold a few weeks ago when the internet went wild with rage against me due to some kind of EULA situation that I had nothing to do with. I was confused. I didn't understand. I tweeted about this in anger. Later, I watched the This is Phil Fish video on YouTube and realized I didn't have the connection to my fans I believed I had. I've become a symbol. I don't want to be a symbol with a responsibility for something massive that I am unable to comprehend, that I do not want to tackle and that is always resurfacing to me. Extremecraft I'm not an entrepreneur. I'm not a chief executive officer. I'm a geeky computer programer who loves to share opinions on Twitter.



When the deal is completed and I'm done, I'll be leaving Mojang and will return to web-based experiments and Ludum Dares. If I happen to create something that is gaining popularity, I'll probably stop it right away.



Given my public image, which is already a bit distorted, I don’t expect to be in a position to ignore negative feedback, but at least I won't have the urge to go through them.



This is contrary to my public statements. I don't have a solid answer to this. I'm also aware that a lot of you were using me as a symbol of an apparent struggle. I'm not. I'm a person and I'm there with you.



You are my best friend. You are incredible. Thank you for making Minecraft into what it is today however, there are too many of you and I'm not able to be accountable for something of this magnitude. In one sense, it belongs to Microsoft currently. It's been a part of your lives for a long time and will remain yours.



It's not all about the money. It's about my sanity.


Website: https://extremecraft.net/