The microsoft-minecraft deal is official!

[ETRJ]

Microsoft is buying Minecraft maker Mojang. Reports of Microsoft’s plans surfaced nearly a week ago, and the software maker is making it official today. Microsoft is paying $2.5 billion to acquire Mojang. "Minecraft adds diversity to our game portfolio and helps us reach new gamers across multiple platforms," says Xbox chief Phil Spencer. "Gaming is the top activity across devices and we see great potential to continue to grow the Minecraft community and nurture the franchise. That is why we plan to continue to make Minecraft available across platforms – including iOS, Android and PlayStation, in addition to Xbox and PC."

There are a number of likely reasons why Microsoft is buying Minecraft, and some analysts believe the move could boost Windows Phone’s prospects. Minecraft has been a popular app on iOS and Android, but the game isn’t currently available on Windows Phone. It’s hard to imagine a version not existing on Windows Phone in future after today’s deal, but Microsoft may also choose to add additional features and benefits to its own Windows version to entice Android and iOS users.

MICROSOFT TAPS MINECRAFT'S HUGE POTENTIAL

Microsoft’s other interests with Minecraft are likely related to its huge following, and the ability to attract future developer talent to the Windows platform. Minecraft was originally released in test form five years ago as an indie game that allows players to shape an environment by crafting and building constructions out of blocks. A younger generation of players have flocked to the game, and videos of replica objects and tips on how to play Minecraft are regularly shared with millions of views on YouTube. More than 54 million copies of Minecraft have been sold across PC, Xbox 360, PS3, and other platforms, demonstrating its reach and success.

That popularity means Minecraft is essentially the digital equivalent of Lego blocks, allowing players to create their own worlds that can be shared and edited by others. If Microsoft can tap into that culture without upsetting the millions of devoted fans, then it could serve to open up Minecraft to even bigger audiences as a tool for building, education, and development.

Source: http://www.theverge.com/2014/9/15/6151477/microsoft-minecraft-mojang-acquisition

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[BallGum]

I'm worried. I followed the development of the android and iOS version for a while and they plan on porting the full PC experience + controller support. I hope that hasn't changed.

[zanduh]

On the heels of the 1.8 patch which was entirely epic, this happens?

[Butterfish]

Meh, never really liked Minecraft that much anyway... The Oculus news were harder to bare

[Camcognito]

They better not ruin Minecraft. It was doing so well

[Blackwolf7799]

Just read the mojang thread before coming here, it's really interesting to see where this goes.

And I wondor if Microsoft will force minecraft off of Mac and Playstation ( despite mojang saying no to that)

[dragosudeki]

Is Minecraft/Mojang making that much money now? I think if MS was going to make a move on Mine craft it should have been long time ago. I'm sure the mine craft hype has died down quite a bit.

[TimmsyTimms]

I hope Microsoft doesn't wreck minecraft or mojang but mojang does need some backing help for keeping thing on time or stuff like the ular under control 

[RelentlessAF]

I think people always think the worst everytime anything they like is bought out. It's never actually as bad as you make it out to be. I'm sure not much, if anything, will change from this.

[ACatWithThumbs]

I think people always think the worst everytime anything they like is bought out. It's never actually as bad as you make it out to be. I'm sure not much, if anything, will change from this.

But this is Microsoft we are talking about they are pretty much the worst that can happen to PC gaming.

I bet they will sell now Xbox Exclusive DLC and release updates first on Xbox instead of PC.

[RH00D]

They better not ruin Minecraft. It was doing so well

Just read the mojang thread before coming here, it's really interesting to see where this goes.

And I wondor if Microsoft will force minecraft off of Mac and Playstation ( despite mojang saying no to that)

 

Was? It still is doing well.

 

Microsoft won't remove it from any platforms, they are smarter than that. Minecraft is already hugely mulitplatform so taking it in the reverse direction would only hurt the existing player base that has been established which obviously they don't want. Microsoft knows it is never going to be a "system seller" type of game. It's the type of game that will just generate a lot of revenue and have a lot of licensing opportunities (For exmaple, real-world Minecraft-themed toys, etc.)

[Vitalius]

I think people always think the worst everytime anything they like is bought out. It's never actually as bad as you make it out to be. I'm sure not much, if anything, will change from this.

When it's Microsoft, you just have to look at their history regarding companies. 

They buy them to pick the talent clean, then let them die. That's just what they do with companies they buy. It's their Modus Operandi (method of operation).

Minecraft had a unique ability to take autistic kids and make them somewhat normal to an extent. The whole bukkit thing's situation hinders that and this down-right kills it for the future, imo.

[Jeroen1322]

Waaaauuw Microsoft! First fire a shit ton of people (including Barnacules Nerdgasm) and then buy Minecraft (Who makes a proffit of 97 million per year) for 2 fucking billion dollars! Really low man.. really low..

[AlexGoesHigh]

so in a nutshell, notch wanted to get out, and they decided to sold mojang in order to do that

[AlexGoesHigh]

Waaaauuw Microsoft! First fire a shit ton of people (including Barnacules Nerdgasm) and then buy Minecraft (Who makes a proffit of 97 million per year) for 2 fucking billion dollars! Really low man.. really low..

i know it feels like bullshit but i'm sure money wasn't the reason MS laid off that many people, paying their entire workforce is pocket change considering all the money they have

[StingBull]

I still think paying 2,5 billion dollars for Minecraft is a stupid decision. Consider this, Twitch was sold for 940 million dollars and that website is the most popular streaming site on earth.

But apparently Microsoft has endless amounts of money considering how much money they have been wasting in the last decade.

[Vitalius]

Waaaauuw Microsoft! First fire a shit ton of people (including Barnacules Nerdgasm) and then buy Minecraft (Who makes a proffit of 97 million per year) for 2 fucking billion dollars! Really low man.. really low..

I know the math doesn't look like it makes sense, but that's because people don't get the point. 

That $2.5B isn't just for Minecraft, the game, Mojang, the studio and the $97M per year. It's for the fan base who will follow it right into M$' hands. They've sold 50 million copies. Assuming 80% were unique, and 50% of that are still playing regularly, that's 50 * 0.8 * 0.5 = 20 million active players of MC. 

At $125 per user, that's $2.5B for 20 million active users. 

I still think paying 2,5 billion dollars for Minecraft is a stupid decision. Consider this, Twitch was sold for 940 million dollars and that website is the most popular streaming site on earth.

Read above

[RelentlessAF]

When it's Microsoft, you just have to look at their history regarding companies. 

They buy them to pick the talent clean, then let them die. That's just what they do with companies they buy. It's their Modus Operandi (method of operation).

Minecraft had a unique ability to take autistic kids and make them somewhat normal to an extent. The whole bukkit thing's situation hinders that and this down-right kills it for the future, imo.

Well aside from Minecraft what does Mojang have? Their other two games aren't very good and don't have much of an impact at all on the gaming industry. Why not give such a popular title to a company that actually HAS a laundry list of good titles under their belt. I doubt they will actually do anything bad. I figure they will keep the game alive until it's popularity dies out. They also could be a huge proponent to pushing Minecraft as an educational tool and start having schools adopt it into their curriculum.

[MetalDevil]

https://mojang.com/2014/09/yes-were-being-bought-by-microsoft/

 

Yes, the deal is real. Mojang is being bought by Microsoft.

It was reassuring to see how many of your opinions mirrored those of the Mojangstas when we heard the news. Change 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. <3

Please remember that the future of Minecraft and you – the community – are extremely important to everyone involved. If you take one thing away from this post, let it be that.

We can only share so much information right now, but we’ve decided that being as honest as possible is the best approach. We’re still working a lot of this stuff out. Mega-deals are serious business.

Why did you sell Minecraft?
Minecraft has grown from a simple game to a project of monumental significance. Though we’re massively proud of what Minecraft has become, it was never Notch’s intention for it to get this big.

As you might already know, Notch is the creator of Minecraft and the majority shareholder at Mojang. He’s decided that he doesn’t want the responsibility of owning a company of such global significance. Over the past few years he’s made attempts to work on smaller projects, but the pressure of owning Minecraft became too much for him to handle. The only option was to sell Mojang. He’ll continue to do cool stuff though. Don’t worry about that.

There are only a handful of potential buyers with the resources to grow Minecraft on a scale that it deserves. We’ve worked closely with Microsoft since 2012, and have been impressed by their continued dedication to our game and its development. We’re confident that Minecraft will continue to grow in an awesome way.

Minecraft means many different things to millions of people across the world, and to each and every Mojangsta. We feel that this is the best way for everyone – you guys included – to benefit.

What about the other editions of Minecraft? Will they stop being developed?
There’s no reason for the development, sales, and support of the PC/Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Vita, iOS, and Android versions of Minecraft to stop. Of course, Microsoft can’t make decisions for other companies or predict the choices that they might make in the future.

We’re extremely proud of all editions and the awesome things you have achieved through playing together.

Is the game going to change? Will we still be able to make videos, mods, awesome builds, and all the cool stuff we’ve created over the past few years?
Minecraft will continue to evolve, just like it has since the start of development. We don’t know specific plans for Minecraft’s future yet, but we do know that everyone involved wants the community to grow and become even more amazing than it’s ever been. Stopping players making cool stuff is not in anyone’s interests.

What about the Mojang staff? What’s happening to you guys?
Though it’s too early to confirm which of us will continue working on Minecraft or other projects, we predict that the vast majority (if not all) Mojangstas will continue to work at Mojang for the time being.

The founders: Notch, Carl, and Jakob are leaving. We don’t know what they’re planning. It won’t be Minecraft-related but it will probably be cool.

What’s happening to the other Mojang projects, like Scrolls?
We don’t know yet. We’ll share any news as soon as we do.

Will you still be able to tweet about features and interact with the community on a personal level, just like you’ve done over the years?
Yes! That’s not going to change.

How much money was the company bought for?
Microsoft acquired Mojang for a smooth 2.5 BILLION dollars.

Thanks for reading everybody.

Owen – @bopogamel, Lydia – @lydiawinters, and the Mojangstas

 

From the Minecraft side of things.

[RelentlessAF]

But this is Microsoft we are talking about they are pretty much the worst that can happen to PC gaming.

I bet they will sell now Xbox Exclusive DLC and release updates first on Xbox instead of PC.

They gave us Windows which makes PC Gaming possible. The only things in their history that show poor treatment of PC gamers is Games for Windows Live. If that's enough to say they are "the worst for PC Gaming" why isn't Ubi or EA since they both also have crappy DRMs? At least EA had the decency to no make it dual-layered like Ubi.

[themaniac]

if they ruin it I'll be done I will kill the minecraft loving side of me

[RH00D]

When it's Microsoft, you just have to look at their history regarding companies. 

They buy them to pick the talent clean, then let them die. That's just what they do with companies they buy. It's their Modus Operandi (method of operation).

Minecraft had a unique ability to take autistic kids and make them somewhat normal to an extent. The whole bukkit thing's situation hinders that and this down-right kills it for the future, imo.

Which companies would those be?

[StingBull]

I know the math doesn't look like it makes sense, but that's because people don't get the point.

That $2.5B isn't just for Minecraft, the game, Mojang, the studio and the $97M per year. It's for the fan base who will follow it right into M$' hands. They've sold 50 million copies. Assuming 80% were unique, and 50% of that are still playing regularly, that's 50 * 0.8 * 0.5 = 20 million active players of MC.

At $125 per user, that's $2.5B for 20 million active users.

Read above

That's a big assumption. Who's to say Minecraft fan base won't dissolve after the acquisition? How is Microsoft suppose to make money off of them anyway? If they make any changes to the game and add stuff like micro transactions people will leave the game.

[Jerakl]

On the heels of the 1.8 patch which was entirely epic, this happens?

The last truly epic patch was Beta 1.7

Notch is leaving, and so am I. I don't even play vanilla anymore though

[iAsuno]

Now optimize the thing.....