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Microsoft Set to Buy Minecraft's Developer Mojang, Say Reports

Microsoft is preparing to purchase Minecraft's developer Mojang according to reports by Leo Kelion Technology desk editor



The video games studio behind Minecraft is in talks to be taken over by Microsoft according to reports.



According to reports, Mojang could sell for more than $2 billion (PS1.2bn).



In June the Swedish studio said it had sold about 54 million copies of its popular world-building game. It's been released on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 since then, which has further boosted the number of copies sold.



Mojang's founder, Markus "Notch" Persson has previously publicly criticised Microsoft.



In the lead-up to the launch of the Windows 8 operating system, Mr. Smith stated that the company was "trying to destroy the PC as an open platform" because it had planned to approve third-party games prior to their release.



He was also a staunch advocate of independent studios. In 2012, he said: "The more studios can be free of the publisher system, the more games will be made with love, not for making a profit."



According to Bloomberg news agency, it was actually Mr Persson who "reached out" to Microsoft in the last few months.



It said that a source suggested should the deal go through Persson would be a part of the deal. Persson could assist in the transition, but it was unlikely to stay on afterwards.



The New York Times also reported that a person briefed on the talks had stated that Mr. Persson was expected to leave within six months, but that Mojang wanted to hold on to its younger developers.



A spokesperson for Microsoft said: "We don't comment on speculation or rumours."



Mojang also declined to comment. BBC's questions weren't answered by Mr. Persson.



Virtual world



Minecraft was first released in the year 2011. It has since become a cultural phenomenon and is now the third most popular game.



London's Victoria and Albert Museum hosted an evening to explore its design culture. Lego has created spin-off toys, Ordnance Survey created a version for mainland Great Britain, and the government of Denmark has built the scale model.



The story is set in a virtual universe made up of cubes made of various materials, including dirt and rocks. These cubes can be used to create blocks or transformed into usable raw materials.



The blocks can be used to build shelters or even weapons to defend themselves from the zombies and other creatures that are in the game.
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They can also participate in large-scale construction projects in order to show off their creativity.



One example of extremes was the creation of a virtual hard drive that could be used to work.



Mojang has also worked on other games, but they have either failed to meet the standards of Minecraft's popularity - for instance, the role-playing game (RPG) Scrolls - or been shelved before completion like 0x10c, an space-themed game that Mr. Persson had been working on since last year.



'Worried gamers'



The Wall Street Journal first reported on negotiations between Mojang, Microsoft and that they could end this week.



It noted that this would be the first multibillion acquisition by Microsoft's chief executive, Satya Nadella, since he took charge of the company in 2003.



Harry Bradshaw, who has interviewed Mr. Persson on the Twitch video website, said that many gamers are worried about the news.



"There have been cases in the past of huge corporations taking another's game and making it into a massive money-flip, just to see what they can make out of it," he said.



"Gamers will naturally be worried about this.



"And I am still unsure the reason Mojang is able to make such a huge profit considering that it's the most popular PC game of all time and continues to sell thousands of copies a day."



One market watcher said that it was unlikely that Microsoft would pull existing Minecraft games from sale for the PlayStation, Mac, Android, Linux and other rival platforms.



He said that Microsoft's systems could be preferred to the future of products.



"Minecraft is one the leading IPs [intellectual properties] in the gaming industry that could be acquired," said Piers Harding-Rolls the lead games analyst at the consultancy IHS.



"The brand has the potential for continued growth over the next 10 years,"



"So as an investment - even at a high price - it still is a valuable asset for larger companies trying to acquire exclusive rights to an extremely-engaged franchise."



Minecraft maker shelves game



19 August 2013



Minecraft creator attacks Windows



28 September 2012



Twitch



IHS



New York Times



Bloomberg



WSJ


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