WSJ: ''Mojang to be bought by Microsoft'

Leflus said:
Sony: We don't know
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post-28915-kristen-bell-laughing-crying-g-TzMP.gif
 
Come now, we all know that the only real reason this deal is happening is so MS can kill Minecraft entirely in order to give Project Spark a chance.

SenjutsuSage said:
As someone that will own all 3 at some point, I find that very, very exciting. :)
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The last time they tried this strategy ended with them dead last. Why would you be excited by this? Throwing money around isn't a guarantee of anything especially when it isn't actually adding any value. Note when the Xbox platform's fortunes really started to take off was when they released the 360 and for a short time were more focused on trying to add value rather than simply trying to hoard it.

That said, I feel like Minecraft is only the tip of the iceberg for the potential of the concept. It's one that could literally be iterated on for decades to come, ultimately paving the most reliable path to the kind of fully realized virtual worlds we keep anticipating. Whomever owns Minecraft could very well be the one to own the keystone to all the virtual multiverses to come. But MS doesn't have a great track record of seeing potential that way.
 
shadowsdarknes said:
Seems like Mojang would get the better deal here. There's no guarantee that the studio will continue to see future successes. Microsoft is in desperate need to put themselves in a more attractive position so it seems like a natural fit.

Microsoft can milk the IP for all its worth.
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Getting 2 billion dollars and walking away is always the better deal, unless you are attached to your property. And they seem sort of done with Minecraft.

I would love to make games, but if I had 100's of millions of dollars, I can think of some things I would rather do.
 
Steverulez said:
Yeh, but the Bloomberg article says that Notch was the one that approached MS, so I was looking at it from that side, especially as I find it hard to believe that he would sell if it wasn't on his terms
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No worries, I'm in agreement, you'd have to be insane to refuse that amount of money.
 
I wish they would buy SquareEnix. I don't even own an Xbone! Anyone buy SquareEnix! Anything to save SquareEnix from itself.
 
Wouldn't blame notch. Minecraft has proven to be a difficult act to follow, and he seems to have no desire to meet or exceed the expectations fans have laid out for him. He just wants to have fun, and that's become harder to do apparently.
 
Crispy75 said:
If it meant coherent planning of development and features, decent PR and customer service, an official API and a team bigger than 6 people to run the world's most popular videogame, then I'm all for it.
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Even if what you say is true, would you actually think Microsoft would push any sort of improvement into the existing PC version, instead of just pushing it entirely under the Xbox umbrella.

While some PR guys at Microsoft claim to be in support of PC as a gaming platform, I have yet to see any such actions to confirm as such outside of minor mobile like software offerings on their own "Apps for Windows" page.
 
Minecraft 2? Wut? Did I miss something? A random post or joke?

Anyways, Im still wondering why MS didn't do this sooner, maybe like around the time they got the 360 edition.
 
OmegaDL50 said:
Even if what you say is true, would you actually think Microsoft would push any sort of improvement into the existing PC version, instead of just pushing it entirely under the Xbox umbrella.

While some PR guys at Microsoft claim to be in support of PC as a gaming platform, I have yet to see any such actions to confirm as such outside of minor mobile like software offerings on their own "Apps for Windows" page.
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Well they recently released 3 updates/ports of strategy games on steam -mythology empires and rise of nations, as well as state if decay, lococycle, max, hsa and project spark on pc, not to mention fable anniversary is coming very soon and ori is due day one on pc.

It's certainly a decent start and you'd bet they will do something else with those strategy game IPs especially as they had to buy one of them and they're hiring for it
 
Zornack said:
They're not buying Mojang for the development team, they're buying them for the rights to the Minecraft IP.

Minecraft is already big. Minecraft 2 and Mincraft: The Movie will be big no matter who works on them. They don't need to capture lighting twice, it's already been done and Mojang isn't doing much to capitalize on it.
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A sequel or movie "will be big" enough to make back 2 billion + the costs to complete those projects?

That seems hard to believe, unless they expect a sequel to be another 50+ million seller.
 
shinobi602 said:
People are really missing the big picture here and underestimating the Minecraft name. The amount of returns they can make on Minecraft merchandising and licensing fees alone could be potentially worth it, let alone an Xbox/Windows exclusive Minecraft 2.
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That´s one way to kill Minecraft. 2 billion is too much for Minecraft.
 
DrkSage said:
Minecraft 2? Wut? Did I miss something? A random post or joke?

Anyways, Im still wondering why MS didn't do this sooner, maybe like around the time they got the 360 edition.
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Why would Notch sell off his company at a point where he had nowhere else to go but up?

Minecraft is likely at a peak and maybe now is the right time to get a boat-load of cash and move on. The other projects at Mojang are busts, and likely Microsoft is seeking a potential Minecraft 2 (and 3, 4, and so on and so forth) and further merchandising revenue out of this.
rrc1594 said:
Didn't Phil say he's not big on buying studios, to prevent something like Bungie?
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I don't remember those statements clearly, but if Notch did approach the company it would be hard to pass up. Especially if you can install devs from other owned houses in there.
 
2 Billion 0_O, my life ain't shit

TBH i think minecraft was a once in a lifetime thing, minecraft 2 will be popular but not that popular

if MS were smart they would have secured it before the PS4 version came out, then they could have had a "only playable on next gen" or something
 
rrc1594 said:
Didn't Phil say he's not big on buying studios, to prevent something like Bungie?
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No I think he was referring to buying people they don't have relationships with. And seemingly he does have a good one with notch plus he wants out so the deal makes a lot of sense, for ms
 
Besides owning the ip, I could see it also for other reasons. Notch has been vocal about pc gaming and how win 8 was not the best with the appstore "walled environment" thingy or whatever it was.

maybe MS also gives Notch an offer, besides money, he cannot refuse. The offer is to helm/drive MS upcoming PC gaming push.. Or something similar..
 
rrc1594 said:
Didn't Phil say he's not big on buying studios, to prevent something like Bungie?
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This is ultimately not Phil's decision, but rather MSFT's newly appointed CEO.

As has been suggested by many users, the purchase is seen as an initiative to revitalize their mobile efforts, increase Xbox brand awareness through Minecraft content and licensing opportunities.
 
kaching said:
Come now, we all know that the only real reason this deal is happening is so MS can kill Minecraft entirely in order to give Project Spark a chance.

The last time they tried this strategy ended with them dead last. Why would you be excited by this? Throwing money around isn't a guarantee of anything especially when it isn't actually adding any value. Note when the Xbox platform's fortunes really started to take off was when they released the 360 and for a short time were more focused on trying to add value rather than simply trying to hoard it.

That said, I feel like Minecraft is only the tip of the iceberg for the potential of the concept. It's one that could literally be iterated on for decades to come, ultimately paving the most reliable path to the kind of fully realized virtual worlds we keep anticipating. Whomever owns Minecraft could very well be the one to own the keystone to all the virtual multiverses to come. But MS doesn't have a great track record of seeing potential that way.
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They have been arguably second both times. PS2 generation they defeated GameCube. Wii generation I guess they ended up around tied with PS3 for second, but they sold 80 million units as opposed to 25 million or so the generation before, so did they really lose? did anyone lose last gen? Maybe Somy because of the major market share transition, but they still sold a ton.
 
Steverulez said:
Well they recently released 3 updates/ports of strategy games on steam -mythology empires and rise of nations, as well as state if decay, lococycle, max, hsa and project spark on pc, not to mention fable anniversary is coming very soon and ori is due day one on pc.

It's certainly a decent start and you'd bet they will do something else with those strategy game IPs especially as they had to buy one of them and they're hiring for it
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Maybe this will mean they can get Minecraft out of the Java environment it runs on and instead move the code base to C++ or some other more reliable programing language more suitable for application for it type.

I don't know if transfering the existing Minecraft code to entirely different language would be worthwhile considering the amount of testing and making sure everything works without issue.

While at the time of it's release under Java it seemed to be an interesting concept, I think the game itself has became much larger then it intended, so I wonder if moving to C++ would provide more benefits such as better memory allocation and ultimately a much more efficient running program.
 
With the current situation, if it's really 2 billion dollars, I really can't justify it as a good business decision. I just can't see the ROI for that amount of money in a meaningful timespan. I guess we'll have to wait and see.
 
friskykillface said:
2 Billion 0_O, my life ain't shit

TBH i think minecraft was a once in a lifetime thing, minecraft 2 will be popular but not that popular

if MS were smart they would have secured it before the PS4 version came out, then they could have had a "only playable on next gen" or something
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I think (hope) that Microsoft is smart enough to know that Minecraft 2 would be a mistake. Minecraft isn't the type of game that should get a sequel. Its unnecessary. What are they going to do? Improved graphics? Anything that could potentially be done in a sequel that they couldn't do with simple DLC/updates would kill the charm that makes Minecraft so special.

I think what they'll do is continue to support Minecraft on other platforms for as long as they're contractually obligated to, and really push it on Xbox One and Windows Phone with themed exclusive DLC. I could see them signing deals with Disney/Pixar, Dreamworks, Lego, Hasbro ect... to bring new content to Minecraft. Frozen DLC exclusive to Xbox and Windows Phone would be huge.
 
OmegaDL50 said:
Maybe this will mean they can get Minecraft out of the Java environment it runs on and instead move the code base to C++ or some other more reliable programing language more suitable for application for it type.

I don't know if transfering the existing Minecraft code to entirely different language would be worthwhile considering the amount of testing and making sure everything works without issue.

While at the time of it's release under Java it seemed to be an interesting concept, I think the game itself has became much larger then it intended, so I wonder if moving to C++ would provide more benefits such as better memory allocation and ultimately a much more efficient running program.
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mS is not a studio of 20 dudes working out of a garage. if they put their mind and resources on it they can make it happen very quickly.
 
Guymelef said:
I think we will see a Minecraft 2 teaser when they confirm this.
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Wonder what could MC2 possibly bring to the table that isn't possible on the first game trough an update, dlc or whatever

ArkkAngel007 said:
Why would Notch sell off his company at a point where he had nowhere else to go but up?

Minecraft is likely at a peak and maybe now is the right time to get a boat-load of cash and move on. The other projects at Mojang are busts, and likely Microsoft is seeking a potential Minecraft 2 (and 3, 4, and so on and so forth) and further merchandising revenue out of this.


I don't remember those statements clearly, but if Notch did approach the company it would be hard to pass up. Especially if you can install devs from other owned houses in there.
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Well yes, guess it was to early to accept any deal of that kind.
 
DrRussian said:
I hope what Notch does is similar to what snapchat did to Facebook.
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That is silly. While I completely do not get snapchat and it's appeal, it is very different from a video game maker without a platform. Mojangs next big thing, is hopefully making something as big as Minecraft. It is not going to be the next Facebook, it simply has the potential to be a very successful game. And a very successful game means you can make 100's of millions of dollars, but you are not going to create something on the level of Facebook! or google. Better to sell high, make your money, and now you have the option to do whatever.
 
Saw a post on another site that said 1.5 billion alone in just sold Minecraft versions of the game itself. 2 billion for this? Great grab.

Merchandise after that. Still selling MC1 ... announce MC2 for windows 9 and so on with the X1. Please tell us somehow, someway they go BF style and there's a rent a server, or the cloud somehow can make it where if you start a world, you can still have your friends have access to that world without you being on.


That would be nice.

EmptySpace said:
waste of money.

minecraft is as much a fad as angry birds.

once the next big thing hits, minecraft will be forgotten.
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At the post below mine... come on man. Really? That game still charts on NPD's! Weird that people are acting like Minecraft is on the decline.
 
hydrophilic attack said:
Hey Mojang, go die on a cactus you worthless POS company.

Way to wait until the game was finally released on Vita before sellig out like this and stopping to support the platform. Scared that your years of failing to put out a new game might have just bit you in the ass huh? Fuck you if you think I'm paying for this now after you sat on your thumb for literally YEARS waiting to port a 360 game to other platforms. That's going to hold up, right?Fucking sub-PS2 assets upscaled onto the PS4? You're a bunch of clowns. I take it as a personal insult that you mouthbreathers are allowed to make decisions with regards to how franchises I used to really love are handled. Your asses got bailed out when Bethesda decided to settle out of court because their lawyers, like all of you, was a complete and utter mook. I make two better executives than your entire company combined in the toilet every morning before I go to work. I look forward to the day that MS crashes and burn your company into the fucking sea, only to make you make Kinect games for the rest of your days.

That's assuming you asshats don't run your company into the ground on your very own, which you probably will because you give fuck all about releasing new games, to say nothing about just how little regard you hold towards the fans who made you what you are.

As the owner of a PS4 and a Vita please go get eaten by a creeper.
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LMAO.
 
Don't quite understand this move.

Does this mean the PS4/PSV aren't coming out? Or are we talking about future games developed by the studio will be exclusive to Microsoft platforms?

That's a shit ton of money to bet on that studio ever producing anything remotely as popular/important as Minecraft. Unless they just want to pump out Minecraft sequels... in which case, who cares? We already have Minecraft.
 
scoobs said:
Don't quite understand this move.

Does this mean the PS4/PSV aren't coming out? Or are we talking about future games developed by the studio will be exclusive to Microsoft platforms?

That's a shit ton of money to bet on that studio ever producing anything remotely as popular/important as Minecraft. Unless they just want to pump out Minecraft sequels... in which case, who cares? We already have Minecraft.
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PS4 version has been out for a couple days now.
As far as the Vita version... who knows.

I think it will still come to Vita, but I'm wonder if this pending deal was the reason why the painfully obvious Vita bundle didn't happen.
 
miDnIghtEr20C said:
At the post below mine... come on man. Really? That game still charts on NPD's! Weird that people are acting like Minecraft is on the decline.
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All the people who says Minecraft its a fad they never played it well.

But the thing is that if Minecraft will be able to return the investment to microsoft and gives them profit. I doubt Minecraft 2 would sell the same and even less if microsoft limit the platforms.
 
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