Microsoft has reached an agreement with Mojang, (the mastermind behind Minecraft) on 15 September 2014 to acquire the company for a whopping $2.5bn. Mojang is known as the creator of “Minecraft”, which is a lego-like world where player construct all of their items by using resources present in the world.
In the agreement that Microsoft submitted the Mojang, the employees will join Microsoft Studios which is famous for its major franchises such as Forza, Halo and Age of Empires. Microsoft believes that Minecraft players will benefit from its investments in cloud and mobile technologies which will benefit them in many ways. Minecraft players will benefit from richer and faster worlds, more powerful development tools and more opportunities to connect with other players in the Microsoft community.
The game is available on multiple platforms and it is one of the most popular. It reached over 100 million downloads on PC alone, since its launch in 2009. It is currently the most popular online game on Xbox and the top paid app for iOS in the US. The “Minecraft” community is among the most active and passionate in the industry if you look at the amount of hours that are spent on the game and the social aspects of it as well. The statistics show that over 2 billion hours was played on Xbox 360 alone in the past two years. Minecraft fans are extremely loyal because about 90 percent of paid customers on the PC have signed in within the past 12 months.
“Gaming is a top activity spanning devices, from PCs and consoles to tablets and mobile, with billions of hours spent each year,” said Satya Nadella, CEO, Microsoft. “Minecraft is more than a great game franchise – 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.”
The “Minecraft” players have taken the game and turned it into something that surpassed all of our expectations. The acquisition by Microsoft brings a new chapter to the incredible story of “Minecraft,” said Carl Manneh, CEO, Mojang. Card Manneh have also mentioned that “Minecraft” players will undoubtedly continue the game’s success far into the future.
Microsoft plans to continue with “Minecraft” across all of the platforms it’s available on today: Android, iOS, PC, Playstation and Xbox.
Phil Spencer, th head of Xbox made the following statement: “Minecraft” is one of the most popular franchises of all time,”“We are going to maintain “Minecraft” and its community in all the ways people love today, with a commitment to nurture and grow it long into the future.”
