Microsoft Buys Minecraft for $2.5 Billion

Posted on September 15, 2014

Minecraft has been sold to Microsoft. The deal was rumored over the weekend. Microsoft has purchased Mojang, the company that developed and owns the popular construction game for $2.5 billion. Minecraft has become huge over the past few years. The sandbox construction game lets people build anything in the virtual world. There are also monsters that try and destroy what Minecraft players have built. Markus Persson (Notch), the creator of Minecraft and majority shareholder of Mojang, will not be joining Microsoft.

Minecraft is played on multiple platforms, including the PC, Playstation, Xbox, iOS and Android devices. There is not an app for Windows phones, but that alone is not likely the reason Microsoft but the company. Mojang has said in the past that the Windows mobile platform is too small for them to develop an app for. Bloomberg reports that Microsoft will continue to make Minecraft available for multiple platforms.

Notch is not continuing on to Microsoft. Usually when a large company purchases a small one the key executives will stay on for at least a year, but that is not happening with Microsoft's Mojang acquisition. Gamespot reports that Notch owns 70% of Mojang and will make about $1.75 billion from the deal. Notch explains his decision in a post on notch.net. Notch says the game has become too big for him to be responsible for. He also says he himself has become a symbol, which is something he doesn't want.

Notch writes, "I love you. All of you. 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. 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."

The news of the acquisition likely has many Minecraft players nervous. Because of this Mojang published a FAQ on its homepage, mojang.com. Mojang says Microsoft has the resources to grow Minecraft on a massive scale. They do note that the company's two other founders, Carl Manneh and Jakob Porser, are also leaving.

Mojang also says, "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."

Mojang also publishes two other games, Cobalt and Scrolls. In case you are somehow not familiar with Minecraft, here is the game trailer: