The Internet has been abuzz about it for days, and now it can finally be made official. Microsoft announced today that it will be acquiring Mojang, the Swedish start-up developer that created the smash hit Minecraft, for the price of $2.5 billion.
“Minecraft is more than a great game franchise,” read a statement from Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella. “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.” Minecraft was first released in 2009 for the PC platform, and has since seen an explosion in popularity and adoption across several other platforms as a “sandbox” title wherein gamers create new structures like one would build Legos. Currently, Minecraft is number two among paid apps on the iTunes App Store, while data from the NPD Group shows its Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions among the top five best-selling titles.
Following the announcement of the deal, analysts chimed in with their opinions on the Minecraft buyout, and the game itself. Many believe the game will allow Microsoft to increase its presence in the console and mobile businesses, though there have been others concerned about how the Minecraft experience would fare, with Microsoft in control of the franchise. On a business sense, however, analysts appear quite upbeat regarding the deal. According to IDC analyst Al Hilwa, the game “strengthens Microsoft’s hand in the battle with Google, Apple, and Amazon,” and serves as a “solid business with intense user loyalty.”
Separately, Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson announced he will leave Mojang once the agreement has been finalized. “Thank you for turning Minecraft into what it has become, but there are too many of you, and I can’t be responsible for something this big,” said Persson in prepared remarks. “In one sense, it belongs to Microsoft now. In a much bigger sense, it’s belonged to all of you for a long time, and that will never change.”