Rumors are becoming rife that Microsoft is preparing a serious bid for Mojang AB, the Swedish company that owns Minecraft. The price we are hearing is $2 Billion and the announcement may come as early as this week, according to The Wall Street Journal.
Some are a bit surprised, since Microsoft has always been known as a company that creates gaming platforms that other developers build onto. But, perhaps the Seattle mega company is ready to diversify. And with Minecraft’s 50 million plus customer base, it’s easy to see the incentive.
If the deal comes to fruition, it would seem to be somewhat of a change of mind for Mojang Chief Executive Carl Manneh, who has been quite outspoken about his feelings towards large firms, including Microsoft. The gaming community has great esteem for Manneh, specifically for his criticisms of mega companies.
Minecraft is extremely popular with gamers, because of the openness that allows players to create an almost unending number of building block scenarios with zombies and other characters. The pixelated graphics that are a hallmark of Minecraft are a long way from the polish of Xbox games. But, no one can argue with the success of Minecraft and Microsoft seems poised to cash in on what works.
Source: The Wall Street Journal
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