Microsoft trying to purchase Mojang? SPOILER: They did

abr · Post by **abr** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 5:20 am

McBa1n wrote:
TiLT wrote:With the world's biggest indie game apparently about to lose its indie status, which game will take over the throne?

I'm kind of surprised by this whole thing. I thought Notch was very much against the kind of corporate politics Minecraft would get gobbled up in with this sale. Microsoft doesn't fork out this much money for one small game studio if they don't see it adding value to their other properties, which in this case would be the Xbox brand and maybe Windows 8/9, and that's going to come at the cost of other platforms like Playstation, Android, Ouya, and so on.
2 billion dollars changes everything. Notch can do a lot of good with that money. He's a quality guy and a lucky ass developer who had the right thing at the right time. Also, he really has nothing to do with MC anymore... so Notch can continue screwing around making simple games like he says wants - but on piles of money instead. I can also see him donating a lions share of that money to various charities/causes as he already does that sort of thing.

IIRC he's begun to act as a investor/publisher for other indies. With 2 billion in hand, he could greatly expand this.

ColdSteel · Post by **ColdSteel** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 8:07 am

Microsoft didn't destroy Bungie, but they XBoxed them to hell and made sure we'd get no more Myth games (or anything else other than Halo on XBox forever). Bad stuff in my book. And I'll never forgive them for Freelancer and what they did to Digital Anvil. We'll see what happens this time around.

IceBear · Post by **IceBear** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 8:11 am

ColdSteel wrote:Microsoft didn't destroy Bungie, but they XBoxed them to hell and made sure we'd get no more Myth games (or anything else other than Halo on XBox forever). Bad stuff in my book. And I'll never forgive them for Freelancer and what they did to Digital Anvil. We'll see what happens this time around.

I just want them to release a PC version of Destiny

Don't want to get a console version

ColdSteel · Post by **ColdSteel** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 8:20 am

IceBear wrote:I just want them to release a PC version of Destiny Don't want to get a console version

Amen! Preach it, brother.

Stuie · Post by **Stuie** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 8:30 am

ColdSteel wrote:Microsoft didn't destroy Bungie, but they XBoxed them to hell and made sure we'd get no more Myth games (or anything else other than Halo on XBox forever). Bad stuff in my book. And I'll never forgive them for Freelancer and what they did to Digital Anvil. We'll see what happens this time around.

Well... if Microsoft just runs with Minecraft and lets Scrolls and Cobalt fall by the wayside, would anyone even notice?

ColdSteel · Post by **ColdSteel** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 9:44 am

Stuie wrote:Well... if Microsoft just runs with Minecraft and lets Scrolls and Cobalt fall by the wayside, would anyone even notice?

No, probably not. But if they make shiny new versions of Minecraft that are Xbox only, people would probably notice that.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Fri Sep 12, 2014 12:29 pm

McBa1n wrote: I can also see him donating a lions share of that money to various charities/causes as he already does that sort of thing.

I've seen him as a top contributor to various Humble and other charity bundles. Like a few grand for something with an average price of $8.

He was atop the all time contributor list too, at one point. Not sure if he's still there.

ColdSteel · Post by **ColdSteel** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 9:53 am

Ends up being $2.5 billion.

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft’s impending purchase of Mojang, the Swedish developer with 100 million players of its open world Minecraft game, is more aimed at pulling users onto the software company's obscure mobile platform than its better known PC system or Xbox game console.

The software company's Windows Phone system has only 2.5 percent of the world's smartphone market, and its Surface tablet barely more, according to tech research firm IDC. Growth is hampered because many app and game developers ignore it.

Enter Minecraft, which is the top paid app both on Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) iOS and Google Inc's (GOOGL.O) Android systems. Microsoft will unveil a $2.5 billion deal to buy its owner on Monday, according to a source briefed on the matter.

“It seems like Microsoft is looking at Mojang and Minecraft as a way to tap into this enormous cultural phenomenon," said Dave Bisceglia, Chief Executive of independent game studio Tap Lab. "If you look at iOS, Minecraft has been a top-grossing game for quite some time, if Microsoft could on Windows phones give players a unique and compelling experience that you can't get on the other platforms, that could be a driver to sell devices to existing Minecraft fans.”

Microsoft does not disclose numbers of users of Windows Phones, and declined comment on the deal.

So there you go. Microsoft pays $2.5 billion for Minecraft so that they can take the mobile market from Apple and Samsung. Yeah, that'll work. About what I thought. There's no cure for stupid.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 12:18 pm

Just imagine what they could have done if they invested that money into developing new IPs.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 9:59 pm

Yeah, that will end really well! If that's their ambition for picking up Mojang, colour me unimpressed.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 10:04 pm

ColdSteel wrote:Ends up being $2.5 billion.

SEATTLE (Reuters) - Microsoft’s impending purchase of Mojang, the Swedish developer with 100 million players of its open world Minecraft game, is more aimed at pulling users onto the software company's obscure mobile platform than its better known PC system or Xbox game console.

The software company's Windows Phone system has only 2.5 percent of the world's smartphone market, and its Surface tablet barely more, according to tech research firm IDC. Growth is hampered because many app and game developers ignore it.

Enter Minecraft, which is the top paid app both on Apple Inc's (AAPL.O) iOS and Google Inc's (GOOGL.O) Android systems. Microsoft will unveil a $2.5 billion deal to buy its owner on Monday, according to a source briefed on the matter.

“It seems like Microsoft is looking at Mojang and Minecraft as a way to tap into this enormous cultural phenomenon," said Dave Bisceglia, Chief Executive of independent game studio Tap Lab. "If you look at iOS, Minecraft has been a top-grossing game for quite some time, if Microsoft could on Windows phones give players a unique and compelling experience that you can't get on the other platforms, that could be a driver to sell devices to existing Minecraft fans.”

Microsoft does not disclose numbers of users of Windows Phones, and declined comment on the deal.
So there you go. Microsoft pays $2.5 billion for Minecraft so that they can take the mobile market from Apple and Samsung. Yeah, that'll work. About what I thought. There's no cure for stupid.

Right, so some guy at Tap Lab says it's MS's strategy, then it must be MS's strategy.

Tap Lab? Really?

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 10:38 pm

TiLT wrote:Just imagine what they could have done if they invested that money into developing new IPs.

Yeah, it's really just that easy.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Sat Sep 13, 2014 11:21 pm

Grifman wrote:
TiLT wrote:Just imagine what they could have done if they invested that money into developing new IPs.
Yeah, it's really just that easy.

$2.5bln buys you a lot of kicks at the can. Or one messy pop culture hit that may or may not be on the down slope of its popularity.

Why not do both? Like Lawbeef said, they've got a few dollars kicking around, and not much to show for new growth or markets.

Turtle · Post by **Turtle** » Sun Sep 14, 2014 9:44 am

Minecraft is actually on an upswing of popularity, just not the sectors we follow.

With MS buying this, even at 2.5 billion, it's worth it because MS is effectively buying the upcoming generation of gamers, with a market that's only limited by population since the game is playable by so many age groups.

That said, if they use this to limit certain platforms from getting it, such as they plan to do, it may be a good time for some clones to step forward into prominence. If MS doesn't appease the mod communities, there's starting to be a few clones that are coming into their own.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Sun Sep 14, 2014 10:05 am

This also won't likely affect Minecraft in any negative way. They can either send out updates that screw things up, in which case everyone plays the current build instead, or they can actually improve the game. Either way, the Minecraft we know and love isn't going to be all that affected.

Minecraft 2 - Yes, Microsoft could make this Phone/XBOne only (which I doubt they will do), which means that we might not get a Minecraft 2 on PC.

Did anyone really believe that a Minecraft 2 would be coming out from Mojang?

Turtle · Post by **Turtle** » Sun Sep 14, 2014 10:41 am

Heh, not one bit.

I've actually been interested in Blockscape and EQ Landmark.

Blockscape is, sadly, being bogged down by general tech stuff and the one man dev team is slacking on adding gameplay elements.

Landmark is hugely corporate, but is pretty much what I imagine Minecraft 2 will be like under MS, except MC2 will be blockier.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Sun Sep 14, 2014 2:17 pm

Turtle wrote:Minecraft is actually on an upswing of popularity, just not the sectors we follow.

Which sectors are those? The posters, stuffies, action figures, halloween costumes, tee-shirts and backpacks in my kids' rooms leads me to believe that I am aware of Minecraft from vectors other than video games.

Not to mention the near constant requests for mod installations.

Comments from people playing it on consoles have been mostly negative to me, which is just anecdotal obviously.

I have no idea what the growth prospects are for the minecraft franchise. Considering where it has gone, if there's room for it to go up, that's pretty impressive.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 9:13 am

...and it's official:

REDMOND, Wash. — Sept. 15, 2014 — Microsoft Corp. today announced it has reached an agreement to acquire Mojang, the celebrated Stockholm-based game developer, and the company’s iconic “Minecraft” franchise.

...

Microsoft plans to continue to make “Minecraft” available across all the platforms on which it is available today: PC, iOS, Android, Xbox and PlayStation.

“‘Minecraft’ is one of the most popular franchises of all time,” said Phil Spencer, head of Xbox. “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.”

$2.5 billion. Hey, maybe they can just add it to Games For Windows Live and really propel that service into new levels!

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 10:28 am

Just had a pleasant thought:

10,000 Minecraft knock-off aps tricking consumers on mobile devices are about to get bitch-slapped.

Cylus Maxii · Post by **Cylus Maxii** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 11:27 am

I don't agree with the general attitude that MC is doomed under MS. I think they may leverage MC2 as a Windows Phone/Surface app - or they may just try to re-write and optimize it for touch-based UI. I haven't played the mobile versions of MC since I like my Mods and Textures, so I don't know how extensible a mobile version might be. I can see them going to a couple of the giant pack makers like Tekkit and FTB and asking them to help publish packs. I can also see them looking at Steam and trying to do their own version of a Steam Workshop type function.

In any case, MS needs to invest heavily in mobile computing. Linux is already a major pain in the server segment and is working quickly into desktops. That same community-developed fuel is feeding the MC fire. They have to figure out how to become a part of it. Maybe this is part of a better strategy than the doomed predictions are imagining. I think this is more about trying to merge with the flow than to divert it.

jztemple2 · Post by **jztemple2** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 12:28 pm

I haven't really been following this issue but I saw this article on PCGamesN, Notch on selling Minecraft to Microsoft: “It’s not about the money. It’s about my sanity”. It's an interesting read...

An excerpt:

He ends by saying: “I love you. All of you. Thank you for turning Minecraft into what it has become, but there are too many of you, and I can’t be responsible for something this big. In one sense, it belongs to Microsoft now. In a much bigger sense, it’s belonged to all of you for a long time, and that will never change.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 12:48 pm

I can respect that. The guy knows who he is and what he wants out of life. He seems self-aware enough to know that the thing that is bringing him wealth and fame isn't bringing him what makes him happy, so he's going in a different direction.

Of course, he's going in that direction with ~3 billion dollars in his pocket.

Grifman · Post by **Grifman** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 2:23 pm

GreenGoo wrote:
Grifman wrote:
TiLT wrote:Just imagine what they could have done if they invested that money into developing new IPs.
Yeah, it's really just that easy.
$2.5bln buys you a lot of kicks at the can. Or one messy pop culture hit that may or may not be on the down slope of its popularity.

Why not do both? Like Lawbeef said, they've got a few dollars kicking around, and not much to show for new growth or markets.

You're assuming that they are not already looking at investment options, and that there are plenty of potential hits out there that they should be investing in, that they haven't. Just throwing money out there isn't a strategy for growth.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 2:33 pm

Grifman wrote:
GreenGoo wrote:
Grifman wrote:
TiLT wrote:Just imagine what they could have done if they invested that money into developing new IPs.
Yeah, it's really just that easy.
$2.5bln buys you a lot of kicks at the can. Or one messy pop culture hit that may or may not be on the down slope of its popularity.

Why not do both? Like Lawbeef said, they've got a few dollars kicking around, and not much to show for new growth or markets.
You're assuming that they are not already looking at investment options, and that there are plenty of potential hits out there that they should be investing in, that they haven't. Just throwing money out there isn't a strategy for growth.

Well, you should have probably told them that 10 years ago. Because that's pretty much what they've been trying to do.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 2:46 pm

Grifman wrote: You're assuming that they are not already looking at investment options, and that there are plenty of potential hits out there that they should be investing in, that they haven't. Just throwing money out there isn't a strategy for growth.

Diversification is a prudent strategy though. A company can only put so much money into cloud services or internet search.

Gaming is a huge and growing sector that MS has repeatedly tried and failed to crack. This is a way to buy some more exposure and credibility.

And let's not foget than with one purchase, they now own a (if not the) top selling property on all their competitors' OSs.

And finally, this isn't Ballmer's Microsoft anymore.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 3:09 pm

Grif is pro-MS buying Minecraft, in case there is confusion.

Rumpy · Post by **Rumpy** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 6:58 pm

It's kind of sobering to hear Notch's point of view on this, even if I don't fully agree. It kind of reminds me of Flappybird when that became an overnight success, with the author pulling it when he couldn't cope with increased fame.

I'm starting to see Microsoft's angle, in that they would have one of the top selling franchises on multiple platforms. That's likely a powerful incentive right there, as they've been having trouble getting their foot in the door with their own platform. If people won't come to the platform, let the company come to you, is likely their thought.

Zarathud · Post by **Zarathud** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 7:44 pm

A pixellated pick in the hand is worth 2.5 billion in the mine.

GreenGoo · Post by **GreenGoo** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 9:27 pm

Zarathud wrote:A pixellated pick in the hand is worth 2.5 billion in the mine.

Oh yeah, right. I've got an actual pixellated pick axe right here in my hand. Yet another product my wife has seen fit to buy the kids. It's sorta cute, but too much like a weapon not to be used on each other.

Carpet_pissr · Post by **Carpet_pissr** » Mon Sep 15, 2014 10:02 pm

LawBeefaroni wrote:
Grifman wrote: You're assuming that they are not already looking at investment options, and that there are plenty of potential hits out there that they should be investing in, that they haven't. Just throwing money out there isn't a strategy for growth.
Diversification is a prudent strategy though. A company can only put so much money into cloud services or internet search.

Gaming is a huge and growing sector that MS has repeatedly tried and failed to crack.

? XBox was/is kind of a big deal in the gaming world, no?

I am personally a Playstation kind of guy, but I think more than a handful of people bought Xboxes.

rshetts2 · Post by **rshetts2** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 9:49 am

Good person or bad, Notch owes a lot of people an apology. Hes made a point of calling people out for "taking the money" and not in a spanky fun way. I dont blame him for selling out but it makes him a 2 billion dollar hypocrite. Not that I wouldnt have done the same myself but I would eat a lot of crow from doing it. What the hell, with over 2 billion, you can make crow quite tasty, Im sure.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:01 am

I dunno. If the money were his main motivation, he'd certainly be a hypocrite. It doesn't sound like it was - he wanted out of the business, so he sold off his share.

coopasonic · Post by **coopasonic** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:04 am

FYI, I think his cut is only 1.75 billion, he only owned 70% of Mojang.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:05 am

coopasonic wrote:FYI, I think his cut is only 1.75 billion, he only owned 70% of Mojang.

Poor guy.

Smoove_B · Post by **Smoove_B** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:06 am

Carpet_pissr wrote:? XBox was/is kind of a big deal in the gaming world, no?

As a platform for Activision, EA or Bungie, sure. But as a development house, and more importantly PC gaming platform (Games for Windows; Games for Windows Live) they are abysmal. The have repeatedly made decisions to keep certain games only available for the Xbox and/or delay release of a console port to PC.

I really have no idea what they're planing with Minecraft but based on historical data, I'd be pretty nervous as a fan of the game.

TiLT · Post by **TiLT** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:08 am

To their credit, they've publicly stated that they will continue to support and sell the game on other platforms, like Playstation. On the other hand, they didn't say anything about potential sequels following the same principle, which I think is a deliberate omission.

Blackhawk · Post by **Blackhawk** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:26 am

Which is why I say it was a zero-loss proposition for Minecraft fans. In Mojang's hands, nothing was ever going to happen aside from support for the current game.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:29 am

Carpet_pissr wrote:
LawBeefaroni wrote:
Grifman wrote: You're assuming that they are not already looking at investment options, and that there are plenty of potential hits out there that they should be investing in, that they haven't. Just throwing money out there isn't a strategy for growth.
Diversification is a prudent strategy though. A company can only put so much money into cloud services or internet search.

Gaming is a huge and growing sector that MS has repeatedly tried and failed to crack.
? XBox was/is kind of a big deal in the gaming world, no?

I am personally a Playstation kind of guy, but I think more than a handful of people bought Xboxes.

I mean software. Yeah, Xbox is a solid competitor on the console end.

LawBeefaroni · Post by **LawBeefaroni** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:35 am

rshetts2 wrote:Good person or bad, Notch owes a lot of people an apology. Hes made a point of calling people out for "taking the money" and not in a spanky fun way. I dont blame him for selling out but it makes him a 2 billion dollar hypocrite. Not that I wouldnt have done the same myself but I would eat a lot of crow from doing it. What the hell, with over 2 billion, you can make crow quite tasty, Im sure.

I'm not sure how he sold out. I bought MC as soon as he'd take my money and feel I got many times my money's worth. It's a complete game IMO. No customers or employees are being left in the lurch, no principles are being compromised, and selling to MS ensures that MC will get proper resources going forward. It sounds like he was done with it. If someone wants to pay him $2.5b to move on when he was going to move on anyway, why the hell not take it? Selling out implies that there is at least one reason not to do it.

Turtle · Post by **Turtle** » Tue Sep 16, 2014 10:55 am

He's talking about selling out to corporations. As in he's criticized others for doing exactly what he's doing now.

Well, now he knows why those other people he criticized before made the choice they did.

People should call him out on that, but it's a bit pointless since he's had enough money to pretty much ignore everyone. But, let's just say he's been deaf and blind to the realities of all this for a while.

I don't think he's all that great of a dev. Heck, minecraft's core is actually ripped off of earlier games. His other experiments were junk as well, nothing that others haven't done.