Talk has been circulating around the web all week of Microsoft acquiring Minecraft studio Mojang for a billion-plus dollars. Today, Reuters reported that the deal is set to be announced this Monday, and is for a jaw-dropping $2.5 billion. That’s a whole lot of diamonds, ladies and gents.
Bloomberg broke the first reports of this early last week, stating that Markus “Notch” Persson was negotiating a $2 billion deal with Microsoft. They previously expressed interest in Mojang and its user base, figuring they could be used to help build the Windows Phone business into a more viable competitor to others (Android, iOS). If Reuters report holds true, it looks like Persson might’ve won the negotiation battle, and had an extra 500 million tacked onto the deal if the rumor is to be taken as canon.
This would make Minecraft yet another big acquisition of a gaming-related property, following Twitch and Oculus into the land of Lamborghini’s and fish aquarium floors (because that’s what billionaires have, right). Will Minecraft 2 be an PC/Xbox/Windows Phone exclusive assuming it ever happens? Will Master Chief make a cameo in the Minecraft movie? Will Microsoft even touch the Minecraft IP and instead work on something completely different with Mojang? So many questions to be asked, but we’ll save the rest of them for the official announcement, should it happen early this upcoming week.
[HT: Reuters, Bloomberg, Image: VentureBeat ]
man nice
So much for Indie based game designers staying true to the cause. Guess money really does corrupt people. If this really does go through, I will be disappointed in Notch.
Two point five billion dollars? I can’t even be angry. I’d have sold out at a tenth of that.
I agree. As much as this sucks, I can’t begrudge Notch taking that kind of money.
Amazing, so game development is now a political football too?
The ’cause’ is in your head.
‘Notch’ made the game because he wanted to make a GAME… He was Indie because no one else wanted to do it.
Now he has $ to do whatever he Wants! How much more “Indie” can you get than being super rich?!?!?
Now we can see what other games he might make unless he going to make websites
It’s esentially the end of Minecraft, what this article fails to mention is that will likley Notch is leave after the sale. The game isn’t much without him, it just gives Microsoft control over the current Minecraft. I doubt they will be able to create a real sequel for it.
For reference, Notch hasn’t worked directly on Minecraft in a long time. You’re thinking of Jeb, Dinnerbone, Grum. (Anyone I missed?)
it kinda sounds like he wanted to leave awhile a go but he was looking for a company to buy him so he can get to work on his other projects
OKAY, so MS buy the game, port it to the iFail, and then NOBODY else gets to develop mods for it…because it’s MS property we all have to buy for upgrades and expansions rather than being able to make them.
Also, what is going to happen to the EDU version of the game now too? Are they going to stagnate because of this?
This shits me to tears.
I don’t think Microsoft would dare to destroy the mods and edu verison of the game to their profit. The freemium model is what keeps Minecraft alive and without it I doubt the game would be as popular or make them them as much money. Remembed they did spend 2.5 billion on this, so I think they are going to wait a while until they actually do something about stuff like this.
just put some fuckin´ objectives in it, would be great
Amen. Needs to be some kind of incentive to play.
there are a few. get to the nether, beat the wither boss, get to the end and beat the ender dragon. Those are the overall “end game” goals.
beyond that is why the modding community is awesome. Look into the AgrarianSkies and Crashlanding modpacks, which make use of the “hardcore questing mod”, which creates a quest book with a long series of milestones and objectives.
The one thing i would like them to put in the game is a option button to use mods just like resource packs
for PC