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

Microsoft plans to buy Minecraft's developer Mojang According to reports by Leo Kelion Technology desk editor



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



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



The Swedish studio claimed it sold 54 million copies of its world-building game in June. It has been released on the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 since then, further increasing the number of copies sold.



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



He said that Microsoft was trying to "destroy the Windows 8 operating platform as an open platform" by certifying third-party titles prior to the release of Windows 8.



He was also a staunch advocate of independent studios. In 2012, he stated that: "The more studios can be free of the publisher system the more games will be developed out love rather than profit."



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



According to the source, Persson would assist with the transition if the deal is approved. However, it is unlikely that Persson will remain in the position after the deal is concluded.



The New York Times also reported that a person briefed on the talks had revealed that Mr. Persson was scheduled to depart within six months, but that Mojang was keen to hang the younger developers.



Microsoft spokespersons said they don't comment on speculation and rumours.



Mojang declined to respond to. BBC's questions were not answered by Mr Persson.



Virtual world



Minecraft was first released in 2011 and has since become the third-most popular game of all time and a popular culture.



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 world comprised of cubes made of various materials, including dirt and rocks. These cubes can be used to construct blocks or converted into usable raw materials.



The blocks can be used to build shelters or even weapons to defend themselves from the creatures like zombies and other zombies in the game.



They can also participate in large-scale construction projects in order to showcase their talents.



One of the most recent examples was the creation of a working virtual hard drive.



Mojang has also worked on other games however they either didn't meet the requirements of the success of Minecraft, like the role-playing game (RPG) Scrolls or were shelved before completion – such as 0x10c which Mr. Persson was working on until last year.



'Worried gamers'



The Wall Street Journal was first to report on negotiations between Mojang and Microsoft, saying that the deal could be finalised this week.



It was also mentioned that this will be the first multibillion-dollar acquisition by Satya Nadella (Microsoft's chief executive) since he took over the management of the company.



Harry Bradshaw, who has interviewed Mr Persson on the Twitch video website and said that many gamers would be worried by the news.



"There are instances in the past of large corporations taking someone else's game and making it into a massive money-flip, just to see what they could make out of it," he said.



"Gamers will naturally be concerned about this.



"And it is a bit confusing to me the reason Mojang is able to make such a huge profit, bearing in mind it's the most popular PC game ever and still sells thousands of copies every day."



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



He also said that Microsoft's systems could be preferred when it comes to future products.



Piers Harding-Rolls (lead games analyst at IHS) stated that Minecraft is among the most important IPs (intellectual property] in the games space that could be acquirable.



"The brand has the potential to continue growth over the next 10 years,"



"So as an investment - even one at a very expensive cost, it represents something of value to larger corporations trying to acquire exclusive rights to an extremely-engaged franchise."



Minecraft maker shelves games



19 August 2013



Minecraft creator attacks Windows



28 September 2012



Twitch



IHS



New York Times



Bloomberg



WSJ

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