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

Microsoft is preparing to purchase Minecraft's developer Mojang, say reports By Leo Kelion Technology desk editor



According to reports, Microsoft is in negotiations to purchase Minecraft's video games studio.



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



In June the Swedish studio announced that it had sold around 54 million copies of its acclaimed world-building game. Since then it has also been released for the Xbox One and PlayStation 4 which has further increased sales.



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



Ahead of the release of the Windows 8 operating system, he had declared that Microsoft was "trying to ruin the PC as an open platform" because it had wanted to validate third-party games prior to their release.



He was also a strong supporter of independent studios. In 2012, he stated that: "The more studios can get away from the publisher system the more games will be made with love, not for profit."



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



It was reported that a source suggested that should the deal go through Persson would be a part of the deal. Persson would be able to assist with the transition, but was likely to leave afterward.



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



A spokesman for Microsoft said: "We don't comment on speculation and rumours."



Mojang declined to respond to. Mr Persson did not respond to the BBC's questions.



Virtual world



Minecraft was first released in 2011. It has since grown into an international phenomenon and is currently the third most-played game.



London's Victoria and Albert Museum hosted an evening to look at the city's design culture. Lego has made spinoff toys, Ordnance Survey created a version for mainland Great Britain in the game, and Denmark has created a scale model.



The story is set in a virtual world made of cubes of different materials, including dirt, rocks, and the lava. These cubes can be used to construct blocks or transformed into usable raw materials.



Player use the blocks to build shelters and weapons to defend their character against the game's zombies and other creatures.



They can also participate in large-scale construction projects in order to showcase their talents.
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One extreme example was the creation of an online hard drive that could be used to work.



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



'Worried gamers'



The Wall Street Journal first reported negotiations between Mojang, Microsoft and that they may close this week.



It also noted that this would be the first multibillion dollar acquisition by Satya Nadella (Microsoft's chief executive) since he took control of the company.



Harry Bradshaw, who has interviewed Mr Persson on the Twitch video site and said that a lot of gamers are worried about the news.



"There have been cases in the past of huge corporations taking another's game and transform it into a huge money-making opportunity, to see what they could achieve," he said.



"Gamers will naturally be worried about this.



"It is an unanswerable question to me as to what the reason is Mojang would even consider selling when it is the most viewed PC game ever created and sells thousands of copies per day."



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



He suggested that Microsoft's system could be preferred when it comes to future products.



"Minecraft is one the leading IPs (intellectual property) within the gaming industry that could be acquired," said Piers Harding-Rolls, lead games analyst at the consulting firm IHS.



"The brand has the potential to continue expansion over the next ten years,"



"So as an investment, even one at a very high cost, it still represents something of value to larger corporations trying to acquire exclusive rights to an active franchise."



Minecraft maker shelves games



19 August 2013



Twitch



IHS



New York Times



Bloomberg



WSJ


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