WSJ: ''Mojang to be bought by Microsoft'

Snowdrift said:
The valuation is surprising, but consider that Microsoft reportedly has $76billion in cash overseas that are invested in very low yielding securities. Bringing the cash back to the states would involve taxes on their overseas profits. From an opportunity cost perspective, the deal makes a lot of sense. The same rational was used in the Skype and Nokia purchases.
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If MS has a few billions doing nothing in Europe, I could suggest them some companies to buy and spend some of that. Please PM me, Satya ! :P
 
If this happens, all the past attitude and stances that Notch had via Twitter and interviews are so laughable. The word hypocritical is not even fully covering this.
 
Nightengale said:
Let's be frank. If this is real, 1.99999 billion of that 2 billion is for Minecraft, not Mojang.
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Pretty much, particularly if Notch's intentions to leave after the transition are true. I like it. Although I don't know if MS get their monies worth (don't particularly care) ms can push and try to grow Minecraft for better or worse, but notch can hopefully go on to start a fresh and develop some sort of new experimental game... or at least that's what I want to see. Not sure if he is just a one trick pony but I'd certainly like to see what more he can create
 
KingSnake said:
If this happens, all the past attitude and stances that Notch had via Twitter and interviews are so laughable. The word hypocritical is not even fully covering this.
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I don't think he'll care, while hauling his briefcase(s) full of cash to the bank. :D
 
Homeboi laughing his ass off all the way to the bank surely. He made out quite nicely from this deal, once confirmed.
 
This is gobsmackingly stupid if true. Minecraft is already out on multiple platforms, I would think it must be around peak interest, and moneymaking at the moment (sub $200mil p/a). I don't think this will make a big difference in phone or console sales. If it does become platform exclusive going forward, then there is nothing to prevent someone making a convincing clone.
This is bad for gamers any way you look at it. The money could have been spent on a raft of original first party games, but instead will likely be used to make an existing multi-plat exclusive.

Edit- just to say clearly this is great deal for notch, I would definitely sell up if in his shoes. I imagine he is fairly bored of minecraft by now.
 
King_Moc said:
35m sales at $60 or 55m, with the majority probably being <$10? I know which one I'd pick.
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Its bigger than GTA and it has touched more people. You don't let your 5 year old play GTA. This is this generations Mario.
 
EdwardTeach said:
This is gobsmackingly stupid if true. Minecraft is already out on multiple platforms, I would think it must be around peak interest, and moneymaking at the moment (sub $200mil p/a). I don't think this will make a big difference in phone or console sales. If it does become platform exclusive going forward, then there is nothing to prevent someone making a convincing clone.
This is bad for gamers any way you look at it. The money could have been spent on a raft of original first party games, but instead will likely be used to make an existing multi-plat exclusive.
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It didn't matter, MS can afford another one and another one, many more. I won't be surprise MS might buy off Rockstar with GTA, whenever Take Two collapse. Or more studios and IPs buy off.

Hell even MS can afford to buy Sony. But I think MS want to see Sony dying so bad.
 
Nzyme32 said:
Pretty much, particularly if Notch's intentions to leave after the transition are true. I like it. Although I don't know if MS get their monies worth (don't particularly care) ms can push and try to grow Minecraft for better or worse, but notch can hopefully go on to start a fresh and develop some sort of Jew experimental game... or at least that's what I want to see. Not sure if he is just a one trick pony but I'd certainly like to see what more he can create
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What is a Jew game?
Is this a racist money joke?
 
Nzyme32 said:
Definitely continuing. I'd also be certain that any sequels would also be available on as many platforms as possible. This thread is filled with people only concerned with console wars and their perceived superiority vs x platform that most of the talk is exclusivity or "trying to beat Sony" when this doesn't make sense towards the game and how it continues to grow in the first place.

Exclusivity to PC and Xbox etc would be pointless, they cap the player base and very few would hope over for a single title. It is much more likely that they will try to continue and expand the growth of its popularity. Blomberg indicate this interest along with increased licencing with toys movies etc. As far as games go I'd expect more content and games but definitely on as many platforms as possible. Personally I think this fits into nadella's vision of Microsoft's future in general and movement of having their products and services on more and more platforms including the competition
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So you're saying that Microsoft would create Minecraft 2, or whatever, on other platforms than their own?

C'mon...
 
I fail to see the point behind this, on either side.

Mojang does not need MS's money or publishing. They have one of the best selling games of all time. Literally swimming in 100 dollar bills.

Microsoft, well ... they are REAL late to the game here. 3-4 years ago, great move, earth shattering. Now? Everyone already has Minecraft. There is no Minecraft 2 in development. Only this Scrolls game noone really knows much about or is really paying much attention to, for now.

So yeah, don't see the point.
 
Smiles and Cries said:
so how bad will the backlash be?

goint do download the PS4 version soon, will be the first time I play this
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Microsoft are smart - it will be business as usual. Maybe exclusive skins at a push.

Maybe timed(at worse console) exclusive on Minecraft 2.


Notch didn't turn it into a two billion dollar IP by limiting his sale platforms and Microsoft knows that.
 
EricTheCleric said:
autocorrect?

probably meant new?
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I'll have to admit, I had a good laugh at that.

Anyway, if I'm not mistaken, Mojang makes a couple hundred million every year (or something like that). If anything, this wouldn't be that bad of a deal for $2B for the above mentioned reasons (licensing stuff). A Minecraft 2 would be a license to print money too
 
user_nat said:
Eh.. that seems like a lot of money to pay for a single game that is years old.
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You clearly don't understand what Minecraft is. It's not some AAA game that peaks its sales at launch and then dies off rather quickly. Minecraft has kept and will keep selling large amounts of copies for a long time to come.
 
IAmRandom31 said:
I fail to see the point behind this, on either side.

Mojang does not need MS's money or publishing. They have one of the best selling games of all time. Literally swimming in 100 dollar bills.

Microsoft, well ... they are REAL late to the game here. 3-4 years ago, great move, earth shattering. Now? Everyone already has Minecraft. There is no Minecraft 2 in development. Only this Scrolls game noone really knows much about or is really paying much attention to, for now.

So yeah, don't see the point.
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Well they own the IP then and can do whatevery they want with it. Minecraft 2 / spinoff games etc.
 
Smiles and Cries said:
so how bad will the backlash be?

goint do download the PS4 version soon, will be the first time I play this
Click to expand...

For the game itself, if Microsoft doesn't completely fuck it up consequences might be minimal.

For Notch himself, the recent 'drama' with the change of the game's EULA has proven that he's not able to cope with Internet 'hate', and if this deal goes through he'll get a lot of it, i'd say he will walk out of that rich, but certainly burned, and people who expect him to do something else than maybe fund some indie games are in for a big disappointment.

I'd bet part of the team would leave too.
 
Impeccable said:
Microsoft are smart - it will be business as usual. Maybe exclusive skins at a push.

Maybe timed(at worse console) exclusive on Minecraft 2.


Notch didn't turn it into a two billion dollar IP by limiting his sale platforms and Microsoft knows that.
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so MS should put it on WiiU and n3DS :)

get all that money
 
I've never even heard of Mojang... just Minecraft.

If you spend $2 billion, and the talent that made Mojang a "noteworthy" name leaves, it seems to me like you wasted a ton of money. This seems a little insane to me. I'm confused. Can anyone fill me in on the upside of spending THIS much money on a studio? Especially if Notch is even thinking about leaving?
 
what is microsoft even doing in this industry...

just tossing money around in hopes that some day they will turn a profit with their gaming division? seems more and more unlikely that that will ever happen..
 
Give War A Chance said:
I've never even heard of Mojang... just Minecraft.

If you spend $2 billion, and the talent that made Mojang a "noteworthy" name leaves, it seems to me like you wasted a ton of money.
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They aren't buying Mojang though, let's be honest. They want Minecraft.

It's more "honorable" and keeps the IP more intact by purchasing the studio itself. If they bought Minecraft and from a PR-stand point shoved Mojang to the side or gave the IP to a different studio people would automatically devalue the brand.

They know what they are doing.
 
Seems like a Microsoft thing to do. I'm not sure why they would though. Minecraft is Mojang's bread and butter, and that's already available so many places at this point.
 
Good decision, 2B seems like a lot of money but you can't afford to let this IP slip to someone else's hand. 54million copies are sold. Market awareness is there, lets see what MS can do with this now.
 
Nzyme32 said:
Definitely continuing. I'd also be certain that any sequels would also be available on as many platforms as possible. This thread is filled with people only concerned with console wars and their perceived superiority vs x platform that most of the talk is exclusivity or "trying to beat Sony" when this doesn't make sense towards the game and how it continues to grow in the first place.

Exclusivity to PC and Xbox etc would be pointless, they cap the player base and very few would hope over for a single title. It is much more likely that they will try to continue and expand the growth of its popularity. Blomberg indicate this interest along with increased licencing with toys movies etc. As far as games go I'd expect more content and games but definitely on as many platforms as possible. Personally I think this fits into nadella's vision of Microsoft's future in general and movement of having their products and services on more and more platforms including the competition
Click to expand...

It's hard to imagine them not leveraging this in some way to benefit their own platforms. For example, timed exclusivity for Minecraft 2 on XB1.
 
In many ways, it's debatable that Minecraft is not utilised to its full potential aka milked for what it is worth.

I mean, just compare Minecraft with Angry Birds/Lego. The latter is exemplary milking till the very bones of those birds and those toys, whereas Minecraft's identity at its core is the game.

Has it peaked? Who knows at this stage. However, it definitely hasn't been fully taken advantage of.
 
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