The Swedish company, Mojang, known as the creator of the video game Minecraft, is targeted by Microsoft, which plans to stay with the study. According to sources close to the situation, the operation could be fulfilled by 2,000 million.
The game is based on the premise shelter and survives in a virtual world without boundaries, characterized by their jagged and pixelated design. It was created by Swedish developer Markus Alexej Persson in 2010 and became a bestseller, with over 54 million copies sold and over 33 million users worldwide, with an audience based on children and youth.
As co-founder of Mojang, Persson was the critical figure of Minecraft to such acquisitions. When the company led by Mark Zuckerberg bought Oculus, the executive announced the cancellation of a videogame version adapted for the viewer in virtual reality and said: “Facebook scares me”.
It was also critical of the position of Microsoft after the release of Windows 8, since the new version of the operating system required precertification for game developers. “They’re ruining an open platform game creators”, Persson said at the time.
However, it was Persson who opened the possibility to negotiate Microsoft with Majong about a possible acquisition, noting that the transaction would close in the coming days.
If the purchase, Satya Nadella materialize the first major acquisition since he’s in charge of Microsoft. Its aim is to extend the features of the Xbox as an entertainment and multimedia content. With a closer to home use rather than the public profile gamer, the company plans to approach a broader segment and the acquisition of Mojang further this strategy.