Microsoft in talks to acquire Minecraft developer?

Posted on Wednesday, September 10 2014 @ 10:20 CEST by Thomas De Maesschalck
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The Wall Street Journal heard rumors that Microsoft is in serious talks to acquire Mojang, the Swedish company behind popular indie game Minecraft. A person of knowledge of the matter told the journal that the deal would be valued at over $2 billion and that an announcement could follow as early as this week. Mojang earned around $115 million in profit last year and its acquisition would give Microsoft access to a young, hip demographic it has struggled to attract.

Whether there is any truth to this rumor remains to be seen, in the past Markus Persson, the founder of Minecraft, shunned outside investment and rallied against Microsoft's Windows 8 operating system, criticizing the operating system for potentially being very bad for indie games.
Mojang's relationship with Microsoft hasn't been without friction. In 2012, Mr. Persson made harsh statements on Twitter about the U.S. software giant and its new Windows 8 operating system, telling Microsoft to "stop trying to ruin the PC."

"Minecraft" can be played on personal computers running Windows 8, but that requires that users download it from Mojang's site rather than Microsoft's own Windows Store. What's more, the game has never been made available for Windows Phone, Microsoft's operating system for phones, because Mojang deemed the platform too small to be worth the while.


About the Author

Thomas De Maesschalck

Thomas has been messing with computer since early childhood and firmly believes the Internet is the best thing since sliced bread. Enjoys playing with new tech, is fascinated by science, and passionate about financial markets. When not behind a computer, he can be found with running shoes on or lifting heavy weights in the weight room.



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