Microsoft close to buying Minecraft for 2 billion?

That's pretty insane, I mean besides Minecraft, does Mojang have any other or future properties down the line that would help this acquisition make sense?
 
SeymourGore said:
That's pretty insane, I mean besides Minecraft, does Mojang have any other or future properties down the line that would help this acquisition make sense?
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Seems like Minecraft is this generations version of Lego. Microsoft could make a lot of money on Minecraft toys, license fees + Minecraft 2, etc...
 
Plants vs Minecraft

Angry Minecraft

Call of Minecraft: War of Blocks

Gears of Minecraft

There's a lot of life left the vampire giants of the gaming world can suck from it
 
SeymourGore said:
That's pretty insane, I mean besides Minecraft, does Mojang have any other or future properties down the line that would help this acquisition make sense?
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Well, Minecraft is like the WoW of building games, it's hugely popular. If and when Mojang announces Minecraft 2, World of Minecraft, or anything relating to the Minecraft franchise, people will pay attention.

I'd imagine Microsoft will make it xbox exclusive. Perhaps they believe they can use Mojang to convert a majority of Minecraft community to xbox platform.

Of course, consumers always lose with these exclusive thing, but sadly I think that's what Microsoft will do with the Minecraft IP.
 
Hornet said:
I'd imagine Microsoft will make it xbox exclusive.
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Inconceivable. There are like 11 million users who purchased MC to run on their computer, not their console.

Minecraft is hugely profitable. The stores are filled in Minecraft merchandise, heck, my wife bought me a MC poster at Michael's and it actually looks awesome.

The simplicity of the game will keep it around for years if not decades to come.
 
The rumors are starting to heat up,

People said to be familiar with negotiations add that it was Persson who apparently "reached out to Microsoft a few months ago, based on a positive working relationship on Minecraft for Xbox".

It is said that Xbox business head Phil Spencer has a close relationship with the Minecraft maestro. That bond meant both parties "quickly agreed on a framework and approximate price and have been working out the details", according to Bloomberg's insiders.
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http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-wont-wipe-minecraft-from-ps4-if-buyout-i/1100-6422223/
 
Well it would certainly be interesting to see what direction MS takes the franchise. Part of the appeal of Minecraft is that it is somewhat unpolished and doesn't explain anything. My kid loves playing the game on PS3 and iOS, she always discovers something new when she plays it and she has dome some really wonky things I would have never though of.

If they start doing stuff like adding a tutorial and making the game more complex, her interest level might go right in the toilet. Not to mention this is one game that could be totally ruined through a sequel. Though with MS at the helm I may not be getting future iOS and PlayStation console updates anyway...
 
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I play minecraft and love it. So many different things to do and so many different minecraft games. Prison, factions, survival, zombies, PVP, creative, and many more.

However not sure i like that MS would own it.
 
I wonder how popular MC is on the PS3. Also wonder how this affects being on other platforms like Android.

Maybe this could be the flagship of the return of GFW?
 
boss99 said:
Maybe this could be the flagship of the. eturn of GFW?
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Not a chance. Microsoft doesnt care about PC gaming. Only xboxen.

Would be tragic if a megacorp got their greasy paws on this game. Part of its appeal and charm has been that its so un-corporate .. But Microsoft is so desperate for anything that consumers consider cool that they're willing to try buying themselves in, because they've been unable to build anything in house that consumers give two shits about.
 
GibsonEX said:
Damn, 2 billion, hard to say no to that.
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Not really hard to say no when the game made them over 300 million last year and experienced 38% growth from the year before. 2B might actually be selling themselves short, selling their golden goose. Minecraft is timeless.
 
DPI said:
Not really hard to say no when the game made them over 300 million last year and experienced 38% growth from the year before. 2B might actually be selling themselves short, selling their golden goose. Minecraft is timeless.
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Minecraft will eventually hit the point of market saturation or lack of interest. It is cool and hip now with all the toys and media attention, however I certainly wouldn't gamble on an expectation of 30%+ growth for the next 4 years to make that $2 billion MS has on the table.

Plus turning down billions of dollars can be a really bad idea:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303640104577440580610986086
 
A Microsoft acquisition may mean a C++/Direct3D port for the Windows Store. Imagine: a PC version of Minecraft that actually runs well.

I'm for the acquisition.
 
ocellaris said:
Minecraft will eventually hit the point of market saturation or lack of interest. It is cool and hip now with all the toys and media attention, however I certainly wouldn't gamble on an expectation of 30%+ growth for the next 4 years to make that $2 billion MS has on the table.

Plus turning down billions of dollars can be a really bad idea:

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303640104577440580610986086
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Yup. Take the $2 billion and run. These guys have already gotten way more out of a little Java game than ever could reasonably be expected. It's like hitting a straight flush over several made hands. Time to cash out, buddy, you're done.
 
When was the last time MS bought a PC-focused developer and didn't run it into the ground?
 
This may seem super dickish but I just don't really care. I played minecraft once. It's legos on a computer *shrug*. I read some of the ports were real cash grabs on mojangs part so microsoft buying the license just seems like non-news. Mojang isn't exactly an important figure among the Indie dev community all he really proved was that if you use the term "crafting" you can get anything greenlit and valve will happily suckle the profits from your tit knowing full well you're ripping people off.
 
LOL, Mojang isn't an important part of the dev community, the community just decided to model half of its games on Minecraft.
 
piscian18 said:
This may seem super dickish but I just don't really care. I played minecraft once. It's legos on a computer *shrug*. I read some of the ports were real cash grabs on mojangs part so microsoft buying the license just seems like non-news. Mojang isn't exactly an important figure among the Indie dev community all he really proved was that if you use the term "crafting" you can get anything greenlit and valve will happily suckle the profits from your tit knowing full well you're ripping people off.
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I have actually never played Minecraft, and I don't intend to ever play it, but I can understand that it's much more than how you're describing it to be. You can play Dungeons and Dragons in real life but you can also play it on the computer. In Minecrafts case server owners can create servers with custom rules kind of like SourceMod on Counter Strike. You're able to setup entire rulesets / game modes on it. For example, a zombie survival type , or an MMO type. AFAIK Athene created a server for an MMO in Minecraft, one feature being that where everyone gets their own plot of land and can visit others and steal from them, however, you will be penalized and be flagged to get killed as a thief. https://www.mcnext.net/
 
Suprfire said:
I have actually never played Minecraft, and I don't intend to ever play it, but I can understand that it's much more than how you're describing it to be. You can play Dungeons and Dragons in real life but you can also play it on the computer. In Minecrafts case server owners can create servers with custom rules kind of like SourceMod on Counter Strike. You're able to setup entire rulesets / game modes on it. For example, a zombie survival type , or an MMO type. AFAIK Athene created a server for an MMO in Minecraft, one feature being that where everyone gets their own plot of land and can visit others and steal from them, however, you will be penalized and be flagged to get killed as a thief. https://www.mcnext.net/
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What you think I can't play counter-strike legos irl? Just who do you think I am??

In all seriousness yeah I get that there's applications for minecraft but nothing I care about.
 
wonderfield said:
A Microsoft acquisition may mean a C++/Direct3D port for the Windows Store. Imagine: a PC version of Minecraft that actually runs well.

I'm for the acquisition.
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Not only no, but HELL no. A "port" like that would likely eliminate the current java based version which already runs quite well enough thanks. Eliminating the java version would basically eliminate modding, period. (Don't crow "mod api" in the unlikely event it does happen it won't be complete enough for modders)
 
FnordMan said:
A "port" like that would likely eliminate the current java based version which already runs quite well enough thanks. Eliminating the java version would basically eliminate modding, period.
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Not only does the Java version run poorly, but eliminating the Java version would simultaneously remove the need for users to install the JRE, which is quite possibly the most insecure non-OS codebase in existence.

That you'd probably lose mods is a rather small price to pay.
 
You'd lose some mods with a move to D3D, but that really depends on implementation. D3D games are not inherently unmoddable.

Getting rid of Java would be a good thing. Java is great for embedded devices but it is absolutely horrible for desktop/server environments. The security risk Java poses to non-technical users is far greater than any phishing w/e efforts.
 
Windows Store apps would be difficult to mod for without explicit support from Microsoft, however.
 
Thuleman said:
You'd lose some mods with a move to D3D, but that really depends on implementation. D3D games are not inherently unmoddable.

Getting rid of Java would be a good thing. Java is great for embedded devices but it is absolutely horrible for desktop/server environments. The security risk Java poses to non-technical users is far greater than any phishing w/e efforts.
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The obvious answer for an overhaul from Java is moving it to OpenGL, if for no other reason than its the defacto standard of a majority of the world's mobile devices. Which is why I hope this acquisition falls through, since MS only cares about D3D.

wonderfield said:
That you'd probably lose mods is a rather small price to pay.
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That statement conveys a total lack of awareness for a big reason why Minecraft is so popular. The mods. And shooting themselves in the foot after an expensive acquisition by haphazardly getting rid of something like mods would be typical Microsoft shortsightedness.

wonderfield said:
Windows Store apps would be difficult to mod for without explicit support from Microsoft, however.
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"Windows Store app" and "mod" in the same sentence. That's hysterical.
 
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DPI said:
The obvious answer for an overhaul from Java is moving it to OpenGL. Which is why I hope this acquisition falls through, since MS only cares about D3D.
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I don't understand what you're suggesting. How does one overhaul from Java (a programming language/runtime environment) to OpenGL (a graphics API)?

Minecraft already runs against OpenGL, by the way.

DPI said:
That statement conveys a total lack of awareness for a big reason why Minecraft is so popular. The mods.
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Considering the un-moddable console variants have outsold their moddable PC/Mac counterparts, I'm not certain moddability is truly all that important to the franchise's popularity or success.
 
I would like to see the original version of MC untouched, but I wouldn't mind if 'Minecraft 2' was updated for better visuals. Don't get rid of the blocks and pixelation, instead add in real time lighting, surface-specific specular (or PBR) a huge draw distance, glass/water reflection.

Inb4 "but mods!"

Yes, you can get all these things with mods... Horribly coded, buggy, unoptimised and unstable mods that are unlikely to run in conjunction to one another. I'd like to see OFFICIAL support.
 
Seems like the deal is almost complete and will be for 2.5 billion,

http://www.reuters.com/article/2014/09/12/us-mojang-microsoft-idUSKBN0H72EV20140912

"We don’t view this acquisition as a signal of Microsoft's intent to double down on Xbox but consider it an attempt to better address mobile on a cross-platform basis," said Nomura analyst Rick Sherlund in a note to clients this week. "This also appears to be consistent with (Microsoft) CEO Satya Nadella’s mobile and cloud strategy."

Microsoft is expected to pay close to $2.5 billion for Mojang, or about 8 times sales last year. That is small change for Microsoft, which has $86 billion in cash and short-term investments. But it is relatively large and expensive for game company acquisitions, which do not have a stellar record of success.
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i wonder what this will do to modding and all the educational stuff. My wife was looking into implementing this in who school and is now sitting on hold because of this.
 
Some of the modders are pretty smart people, I recall reading that KingLemming (Thermal Expansion author) worked on the Curiosity Rover, that thing that is rolling around on Mars right now

I'm sure if there is a total Minecraft rewrite (and Microsoft aren't dicks) most modders won't have many issues
 
vasta said:
Some of the modders are pretty smart people, I recall reading that KingLemming (Thermal Expansion author) worked on the Curiosity Rover, that thing that is rolling around on Mars right now

I'm sure if there is a total Minecraft rewrite (and Microsoft aren't dicks) most modders won't have many issues
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And then what happens to everyone playing Minecraft on PlayStation, iOS, Android, Mac, and Linux? :(
 
I have a feeling that, while they're going to leave the current minecraft as it is (available to pretty much everyone), they'll most certainly be doing a sequel that will be an Xbox exclusive and likely a Windows appstore exclusive as well, if it even makes it to PC in the first place.

I have a hard time believing that they'll (mojang) continue updating and adding features for years upon years after release, for free of charge, now that they're owned by MS.... which is sort of a shame in the sense that it was a pretty awesome thing that Mojang was doing compared to most game developers.

I see lots and lots of DLC in it's future.

Edit: Good for Notch though, I don't blame him for selling it. Hopefully he goes on to form a new studio
 
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