The scenarios that wanted Microsoft to negotiate the acquisition of Mojang – the Swedish company behind the popular game Minecraft – for $2.5 billion have been confirmed.
Microsoft announced the deal yesterday, saying the Swedish company's team will join Microsoft Studios, the company behind popular titles such as Halo, Forza and Fable. Microsoft 's investments in cloud and mobile technologies will allow players to "benefit from richer and faster worlds, more powerful development tools and more opportunities to connect with the Minecraft community." The acquisition is expected to close by the end of 2014.
Available on a range of platforms, Minecraft is one of the most popular games in gaming history, with over 100 million downloads on PC alone since its release in 2009. According to Microsoft, it is also the most popular online game on Xbox and the top paid app for iOS and Android in the U.S. Its community is extremely active, with over two billion hours played on Xbox 360 alone in the last two years.
"Minecraft is more than just a big game franchise - it's an open-world platform, driven by a vibrant community that we care deeply about and rich with new opportunities for the community and Microsoft," said Satya Nadella, CEO of the American company.
As the announcement highlights, the company plans to keep Minecraft available on all platforms where it can be played today: PC, iOS, Android, Xbox, PlayStation. This clarification comes to calm concerns from gamers about whether the acquisition of Mojang would mean "exclusivity" of the game for Microsoft.
In a post on its website, Mojang confirmed its acquisition by Microsoft. "Change is scary, and this will be a big change for all of us. But it will be for the good. Everything will be fine," it said.
Regarding the reasons for the acquisition, it is noted that Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson (a staunch advocate of independent game development, who has previously criticized Microsoft) decided that he did not want the responsibility of owning a company “of such global importance… the pressure of owning Minecraft was too much for him. The only option was to sell Mojang. However, he will continue to make great things. Don’t worry about that.” At the same time, it is noted that there are few potential buyers with the resources that will allow Minecraft “to grow to the extent it deserves. We have been working closely with Microsoft since 2012 and have been impressed by their unwavering commitment to our game and its development.” It is also emphasized that “there is no reason to stop the development, sales and support of the versions of Minecraft for PC/Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4, Vita, iOS and Android. Of course, Microsoft cannot make decisions for other companies or predict the choices they may make in the future."
Source: naftemporiki.gr
