Microsoft announces its first major acquisition under the leadership of CEO Satya Nadella-- Mojang, Swedish creator of the super-popular game Minecraft, a company valued by the Windows marker at no less than $2.5 billion.
Minecraft might not look like a big deal, being essentially a construction game with primitive block-like graphics, but the open-world "sandbox" title is actually a Very Big Deal. It has sold 54 million copies across PC, iOS, Android, Xbox and Playstation, and is top paid app on iTunes and Google Play app stores in both Europe and the US.
“Minecraft is more than a great game franchise," Nadella says. "It is an open world platform, driven by a vibrant community we care deeply about, and rich with new opportunities for that community and for Microsoft.”
Meanwhile the Mojang statement confirming the acquisition reads "[c]hange is scary, and this is a big change for all of us. It’s going to be good though. Everything is going to be OK."
Microsoft promises it will continue supporting Minecraft on its current formats, but it is safe to assume it will be available on Windows Phone soon enough as development on Microsoft devices will be further pushed.
The game was created by Markus "Notch" Persson on 2009, who founded Mojang alongside two fellow developers, Carl Manneh and Jakob Porse, in 2010. He owns 71% of the company, and at 35 years old the sale makes him one of the youngest billionaires in the world.
In a frank blog post Persson admits he will leave Mojang once the deal is finalised, as running a multi-billion company is not as fun as working on games. This points out one thing-- Microsoft is interested in owning franchises, not employing talent. Xbox head Phil Spencer confirms this attitude, saying “Minecraft is one of the most popular franchises of all time… We are going to maintain Minecraft and its community in all the ways people love today, with a commitment to nurture and grow it long into the future.”
This is unlike Apple's recent Beats acquisition, which the iPhone maker stressed was about "incredible talent" (or "acquihire" in Silicon Valley lingo), not a popular name in oversized headphones. Then again, one might say Microsoft is simply being honest about its corporate intentions…
Go Minecraft to Join Microsoft
