WSJ: ''Mojang to be bought by Microsoft'

Verdre said:
Notch posted a blog which I would say is clearly not just about Doom: http://notch.net/2014/09/doom/
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RG0BS1U.gif
 
ConceptX said:
Interesting to see how this plays out if it's true. I'd imagine Minecraft 2 being released by Microsoft and without Notch would put off some buyers.
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I'm no fan of Microsoft, I am still mad at them for firing the Aces team and canceling their long running (and successful) Flight Simulator franchise. However, if they do a good job with Minecraft 2 and the monetization isn't out of hand (meaning they deliver good value for their money grabs) then I'd have zero problems paying MS with my money. I don't mind buying things that are worth it, but if MS goes out of their way to milk Minecraft for every drop they can then I won't be buying, plain and simple.

Minecraft has a huge following now, if MS treads lightly and doesn't piss everyone off then they will do just fine. If they get too greedy then this wonderful thing called Minecraft will die a quick death.


SpinningBirdKick said:
Notch knows that the only way Mojang and Minecraft can go from this point is down. It was a fluke, pure and simple.

It makes sense to sell out to the bigger fool that thinks things will only get better.

Better to exit now when you can command a premium than when the weak sequels begin flopping and the brand is tarnished.
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I'm not sure I agree with this. Notch did hit lighting in a bottle but this game (concept) has incredible staying power. If MS treats it with respect then Minecraft will be around for decades to come, I'd bet my house on that as Minecraft has huge brand recognition among tens of millions of people of all ages. I personally fear that MS will kill it off by getting too greedy however. They are far too corporate minded to make a franchise like Minecraft really work IMHO. Valve would have been a better fit due to it not being a publicly traded company, but oh well we will see now.

Either way it's going to be interesting.
 
Haunted said:
Exactly. Just the fact that he petulantly "named his price" years ago, picking a ludicrously, impossibly high number to get people off his back... and now someone's actually ready to pay that much. :D

It's like straight out of a movie.


edit: actually, it totally is. There's that scene in The Core where the scientist states what it would cost to build a machine to his specs and it's an impossibly high number and he laughs it off while the stone-faced government black suit guy just goes "ok". :D life imitating art etc
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BronsonLee said:
Lolollo I remember that scene! Dude said like 50 billion dollars, and Stanley Tucci went all 'would you take a check?'
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"Use a Credit Card, you get points that way."

Goddamn I love "The Core". It's a perfect stupid, yet highly entertaining movie.
 
Wereroku said:
Yeah that's pretty clearly not just about Doom. I wonder why he feels like he can't get away from Minecraft or that he needs to.
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Look at his twitter mentions. It's still a constant stream of Minecraft comments, suggestions, questions, hate for various decisions they've had to make, etc. he can't get away from it even after not working on it in any capacity for years now. Even less so while connected to Mojang.

He's a somewhat eccentric guy anyway, this doesn't surprise me at all


Edit:more thoughts.
 
Wereroku said:
Yeah that's pretty clearly not just about Doom. I wonder why he feels like he can't get away from Minecraft or that he needs to.
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It reminds me of every Magic player I've ever known that quit, then immediately sold their collection to put as much distance between themselves and what they're running from. Sometimes multiple times over several years. I always wonder why they don't just step away without burning everything down.
 
rbanke said:
Look at his twitter mentions. It's still a constant stream of Minecraft comments, suggestions, questions, hate for various decisions they've had to make, etc. he can't get away from it even after not working on it in any capacity for years now.
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It's mostly because he doesn't have any other "true" project ( or product done ); when 0x10c was still a thing, most people seemed to have made the transition.
 
Verdre said:
Notch posted a blog which I would say is clearly not just about Doom: http://notch.net/2014/09/doom/
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That sounds like a throwback blog to when MineCraft first started.

Owensboro said:
"Use a Credit Card, you get points that way."

Goddamn I love "The Core". It's a perfect stupid, yet highly entertaining movie.
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'Here, you now have free unlimited international calling...forever'

Morokh said:
Well pretty much confirmation then ...

I'd just say, it's not the fact that he wants or will completely retire that will be a let-down but rather the fact that he sells to a big company, especially Microsoft.
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Minecraft is the hugest of huge in terms of properties. Nobody was going to buy it but a big company.
 
Arsenic13 said:
Unless I'm mistaken, Notch has not said anything about this. He's usually very outspoken, so does that allude to this being real?
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Not only has Notch been unusually quiet, but not a single person at Mojang has said a single word for a few days now. It's literally the most quiet the company has been for over four years. It certainly gives the rumor some merit.
 
I wonder how 4J Studios are affected by this. I mean short-term they'll have updates to do but long-term, who knows?

They're only small (wikipedia says 16 employees?) but considering they were working on Banjo Kazooie/Tooie and Perfect Dark XBLA ports before Minecraft XBLA I wonder if MS might consider bringing them in-house too? Especially if people are wanting to leave Mojang?
 
Steverulez said:
I wonder how 4J Studios are affected by this. I mean short-term they'll have updates to do but long-term, who knows?

They're only small (wikipedia says 16 employees?) but considering they were working on Banjo Kazooie/Tooie and Perfect Dark XBLA ports before Minecraft XBLA I wonder if MS might consider bringing them in-house too? Especially if people are wanting to leave Mojang?
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They will end up being bought and Microsoft could turn them into Minecraft's 343 Industries.
 
Reading Jerry Holkins' idle thoughts on the potential Minecraft purchase brough to light something that I'd not really considered. I've bolded the part that had me pausing for thought:

---------------*quote*-------------------
I guess we’ll find out to what extent this selling Minecraft stuff is real, or which parts of it are real, in the next few days. I saw Notch at PAX once, years ago, a fact that has cemented my role as Cool Dad for eternity with my son and his fellows. The last time I said anything to Notch was after he was dealing with the fallout from the EULA changes, to offer words of comfort from someone who has experience being Internet Satan. I think that had to get tiring for him. I think doing the best you can, the best that can be expected of any finite entity, and still getting fucked in the eye-hole is a hard business.

Two billion dollars, the number they’re throwing around, isn’t really money anymore. It has a Dynastic quality. Two billion dollars might as well be The Spice they talk about in Dune. I would love to have that! I know exactly what I’d do. But it’s only partially the Product that is being purchased, only partly the growing services platform. If you don’t hang around with Children Of A Certain Age, you might not know exactly what is being bought here. They’re functionally purchasing a generation. Two billion dollars starts to look like a steal.

People are worried that this means Minecraft won’t exist anywhere but the PC or the Xbox, which is reasonable I think, but everyone who would be making those kinds of decisions over there is still relatively new to their job. They’re in a position to show that This Is A Different Microsoft than the monolithic, witless Ettin that crashed around in The Nineties and what are sometimes called The Oughts. I think that Sun Tzu would say that True Victory means being indispensable on your competitor’s platforms. It’s completely possible to do this right, if they want to.
---------------*quote*-------------------

And that's true, right? A Minecraft acquisition arguably has less to do with the now of things as it has to do with the landscape and mindscape of consumers a decade and change into the future. It's a game and, sequels taken for granted, a franchise that is proven as being one which grabs that age-group by the scruff of their candy-stained collar. Rather than seeing this as a cash-in on the current popularity, might we instead see this as a long-play purchase, a way for Microsoft to plant that early seed of brand adoption in a budding and potential future customer?

I haven't really kept up with this thread, so forgive me if this has already been discussed!
 
Toodles said:
Reading Jerry Holkins' idle thoughts on the potential Minecraft purchase brough to light something that I'd not really considered. I've bolded the part that had me pausing for thought:

---------------*quote*-------------------
I guess we’ll find out to what extent this selling Minecraft stuff is real, or which parts of it are real, in the next few days. I saw Notch at PAX once, years ago, a fact that has cemented my role as Cool Dad for eternity with my son and his fellows. The last time I said anything to Notch was after he was dealing with the fallout from the EULA changes, to offer words of comfort from someone who has experience being Internet Satan. I think that had to get tiring for him. I think doing the best you can, the best that can be expected of any finite entity, and still getting fucked in the eye-hole is a hard business.

Two billion dollars, the number they’re throwing around, isn’t really money anymore. It has a Dynastic quality. Two billion dollars might as well be The Spice they talk about in Dune. I would love to have that! I know exactly what I’d do. But it’s only partially the Product that is being purchased, only partly the growing services platform. If you don’t hang around with Children Of A Certain Age, you might not know exactly what is being bought here. They’re functionally purchasing a generation. Two billion dollars starts to look like a steal.

People are worried that this means Minecraft won’t exist anywhere but the PC or the Xbox, which is reasonable I think, but everyone who would be making those kinds of decisions over there is still relatively new to their job. They’re in a position to show that This Is A Different Microsoft than the monolithic, witless Ettin that crashed around in The Nineties and what are sometimes called The Oughts. I think that Sun Tzu would say that True Victory means being indispensable on your competitor’s platforms. It’s completely possible to do this right, if they want to.
---------------*quote*-------------------

And that's true, right? A Minecraft acquisition arguably has less to do with the now of things as it has to do with the landscape and mindscape of consumers a decade and change into the future. It's a game and, sequels taken for granted, a franchise that is proven as being one which grabs that age-group by the scruff of their candy-stained collar. Rather than seeing this as a cash-in on the current popularity, might we instead see this as a long-play purchase, a way for Microsoft to plant that early seed of brand adoption in a budding and potential future customer?

I haven't really kept up with this thread, so forgive me if this has already been discussed!
Click to expand...

Someone mentioned that this would be like MS getting their Mario. Which is similar to what your quote is saying.

Nintendo has millions of adults by the balls because Mario was foundational to their childhood gaming world. And Minecraft could be that franchise that attaches today's kids to Microsoft via nostalgia-chains for generations to come.
 
Steverulez said:
I wonder how 4J Studios are affected by this. I mean short-term they'll have updates to do but long-term, who knows?

They're only small (wikipedia says 16 employees?) but considering they were working on Banjo Kazooie/Tooie and Perfect Dark XBLA ports before Minecraft XBLA I wonder if MS might consider bringing them in-house too? Especially if people are wanting to leave Mojang?
Click to expand...

About 40 people currently work at 4J Studios.
 
Toodles said:
Reading Jerry Holkins' idle thoughts on the potential Minecraft purchase brough to light something that I'd not really considered. I've bolded the part that had me pausing for thought:

---------------*quote*-------------------
I guess we’ll find out to what extent this selling Minecraft stuff is real, or which parts of it are real, in the next few days. I saw Notch at PAX once, years ago, a fact that has cemented my role as Cool Dad for eternity with my son and his fellows. The last time I said anything to Notch was after he was dealing with the fallout from the EULA changes, to offer words of comfort from someone who has experience being Internet Satan. I think that had to get tiring for him. I think doing the best you can, the best that can be expected of any finite entity, and still getting fucked in the eye-hole is a hard business.

Two billion dollars, the number they’re throwing around, isn’t really money anymore. It has a Dynastic quality. Two billion dollars might as well be The Spice they talk about in Dune. I would love to have that! I know exactly what I’d do. But it’s only partially the Product that is being purchased, only partly the growing services platform. If you don’t hang around with Children Of A Certain Age, you might not know exactly what is being bought here. They’re functionally purchasing a generation. Two billion dollars starts to look like a steal.

People are worried that this means Minecraft won’t exist anywhere but the PC or the Xbox, which is reasonable I think, but everyone who would be making those kinds of decisions over there is still relatively new to their job. They’re in a position to show that This Is A Different Microsoft than the monolithic, witless Ettin that crashed around in The Nineties and what are sometimes called The Oughts. I think that Sun Tzu would say that True Victory means being indispensable on your competitor’s platforms. It’s completely possible to do this right, if they want to.
---------------*quote*-------------------

And that's true, right? A Minecraft acquisition arguably has less to do with the now of things as it has to do with the landscape and mindscape of consumers a decade and change into the future. It's a game and, sequels taken for granted, a franchise that is proven as being one which grabs that age-group by the scruff of their candy-stained collar. Rather than seeing this as a cash-in on the current popularity, might we instead see this as a long-play purchase, a way for Microsoft to plant that early seed of brand adoption in a budding and potential future customer?

I haven't really kept up with this thread, so forgive me if this has already been discussed!
Click to expand...



I guess that's the gamble-- are they buying a generation or are they gonna get screwed by fickle kids who move on to the next hot thing? Kids have already been into minecraft for a while now. This piece of software might end up like so many flash-in-the-pan toy crazes or cartoons.

Their fate could be controlled somewhat by the amount and quality of support. It also doesn't seem far fetched to imagine a situation where they do everything right, but the kid brain X-factor just suddenly clicks and suddenly minecraft isn't hot shit any more.

either way, happy for notch getting paid. what a lucky son of a bitch.
 
Waiting for a twist. Microsoft unable to negotiate the price down (sub-2 billion). Negative shareholder murmurers. Cold feet. Parallel talks with other interested parties.

Something.
 
ThePowerofX said:
Waiting for a twist. Microsoft unable to negotiate the price down (sub-2 billion). Negative shareholder murmurers. Cold feet. Parallel talks with other interested parties.

Something.
Click to expand...

If Notch wants to sell and MS wants to buy I bet they can work out a deal even if its not something as nuts like 2 Billion.

If he wants a billion I bet he could get that. And very few other companies would have the money to make a billion dollar offer. Its pretty much just MS.



A billion would still be crazy money though. Maybe the biggest single gaming buyout ever?

Rare only went for ~$350m. The closest I can think of would be when EA bought both Bioware and pandemic for and the total for both combined to near $900m.

Heck EA when tried to buy Take2/Rockstar for 2 billion back in 08 they had hassle even getting that amount of money together
 
Toodles said:
Reading Jerry Holkins' idle thoughts on the potential Minecraft purchase brough to light something that I'd not really considered. I've bolded the part that had me pausing for thought:
Click to expand...
Actually, that's the only reason to buy them for so much. No single game has enraptured and captured a generation of young kids since Pokemon. If you're gonna lasso them and their parents into buying into your ecosystem of platforms, as well as simply grab a fat stream of cash that comes from those that aren't on them, it has to be Minecraft.
 
MightyHedgehog said:
Actually, that's the only reason to buy them for so much. No single game has enraptured and captured a generation of young kids since Pokemon. If you're gonna lasso them and their parents into buying into your ecosystem of platforms, as well as simply grab a fat stream of cash that comes from those that aren't on them, it has to be Minecraft.
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Yep, and Pokemon after twenty years still attracts people. After Minecraft sold five million on PC people were like "whoa Microsoft, you're stupid for getting Minecraft on 360. Everybody who wants it bought it already". And then it sold 12 million on 360 alone. Microsoft was there basically from the start, worked around their rules (like update cost) to make it happen. Notch has got to like that.
 
funkystudent said:
If Notch wants to sell and MS wants to buy I bet they can work out a deal even if its not something as nuts like 2 Billion.

If he wants a billion I bet he could get that. And very few other companies would have the money to make a billion dollar offer. Its pretty much just MS.



A billion would still be crazy money though. Maybe the biggest single gaming buyout ever?

Rare only went for ~$350m. The closest I can think of would be when EA bought both Bioware and pandemic for and the total for both combined to near $900m.

Heck EA when tried to buy Take2/Rockstar for 2 billion back in 08 they had hassle even getting that amount of money together
Click to expand...

That's a bit far off the mark. This isn't the year 2000 anymore, there are plenty of companies richer than MS and who could stump up the figures rumoured here: Apple, Google, Amazon, Samsung being the most likely.
 
Krilekk said:
Yep, and Pokemon after twenty years still attracts people. After Minecraft sold five million on PC people were like "whoa Microsoft, you're stupid for getting Minecraft on 360. Everybody who wants it bought it already". And then it sold 12 million on 360 alone. Microsoft was there basically from the start, worked around their rules (like update cost) to make it happen. Notch has got to like that.
Click to expand...

I'd love to read a full account of how they met and how this relationship developed. It's weird because Notch would normally seem to come across as being one of the last people to be heavily involved with MS and then proceed to tweet his love for working with them. So unlikely-seeming in the near future, but it needs to have a behind-the-scenes storytelling session.
 
SpinningBirdKick said:
Notch knows that the only way Mojang and Minecraft can go from this point is down. It was a fluke, pure and simple.

It makes sense to sell out to the bigger fool that thinks things will only get better.

Better to exit now when you can command a premium than when the weak sequels begin flopping and the brand is tarnished.
Click to expand...

Agree, Minecraft was more a stroke of luck than anything else. Selling now it's the smartest thing to do.
 
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