Post by The Ultimate Nullifier on Sept 14, 2014 18:14:52 GMT -6
variety.com/2014/digital/news/microsoft-close-to-buying-minecraft-maker-for-2-billion-1201302242/
Microsoft is in talks to buy Swedish gamemaker Mojang AB, behind the wildly popular “Minecraft” games, for $2 billion.
Should the deal occur, it would mark the largest acquisition for Satya Nadella since becoming CEO of Microsoft earlier this year.
“Minecraft,” which launched in 2009, is an open-world game in which players create environments and characters with digital building blocks, similar to Legos.
Mojang has sold over 54 million copies of the game across all platforms. It generated $128 million in profits in 2013.
As with Lego, Warner Bros. is developing a film based on the property.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the talks of the acquisition, which could be completed this week.
Stockholm-based Mojang has around 40 employees.
The games biz has been curious how Nadella will manage the Xbox brand since taking charge of Microsoft.
He pulled the plug on Microsoft Entertainment Studios in July, with Xbox chief Phil Spencer saying Xbox’s success would depend on bringing additional value to the company by remaining “committed to being a consumer-driven organization with the mission of meeting the high expectations of a passionate fan base, to create the best games and to drive technical innovation.”
With a potential purchase of “Minecraft’s” creator, that clearly means go after more franchises.
It also would be a surprise should Mojang sell to Microsoft, given that the company’s chief Markkus “Notch” Persson has been critical of large corporations. He opted not to work with Oculus to create a version of “Minecraft” for the virtual reality device after Facebook purchased the company.
However, “Minecraft” already has a relationship with Microsoft, with the game available on Xbox platforms since 2012. It debuted on Xbox One this month, and is also available on the PlayStation 4.
Microsoft is in talks to buy Swedish gamemaker Mojang AB, behind the wildly popular “Minecraft” games, for $2 billion.
Should the deal occur, it would mark the largest acquisition for Satya Nadella since becoming CEO of Microsoft earlier this year.
“Minecraft,” which launched in 2009, is an open-world game in which players create environments and characters with digital building blocks, similar to Legos.
Mojang has sold over 54 million copies of the game across all platforms. It generated $128 million in profits in 2013.
As with Lego, Warner Bros. is developing a film based on the property.
The Wall Street Journal first reported the talks of the acquisition, which could be completed this week.
Stockholm-based Mojang has around 40 employees.
The games biz has been curious how Nadella will manage the Xbox brand since taking charge of Microsoft.
He pulled the plug on Microsoft Entertainment Studios in July, with Xbox chief Phil Spencer saying Xbox’s success would depend on bringing additional value to the company by remaining “committed to being a consumer-driven organization with the mission of meeting the high expectations of a passionate fan base, to create the best games and to drive technical innovation.”
With a potential purchase of “Minecraft’s” creator, that clearly means go after more franchises.
It also would be a surprise should Mojang sell to Microsoft, given that the company’s chief Markkus “Notch” Persson has been critical of large corporations. He opted not to work with Oculus to create a version of “Minecraft” for the virtual reality device after Facebook purchased the company.
However, “Minecraft” already has a relationship with Microsoft, with the game available on Xbox platforms since 2012. It debuted on Xbox One this month, and is also available on the PlayStation 4.