Microsoft is now the sole owner of the Minecraft franchise and the developer that made it, although the price of $2.5 billion is even more than previously rumoured.
Although the deal has been known about for weeks Xbox boss Phil Spencer officially announced the news today, with a post on the official Xbox blog.
‘At Microsoft, we believe in the power of content to unite people. Minecraft adds diversity to our game portfolio and helps us reach new gamers across multiple platforms,’ he said.
‘Gaming is the top activity across devices and we see great potential to continue to grow the Minecraft community and nurture the franchise. That is why we plan to continue to make Minecraft available across platforms – including iOS, Android and PlayStation, in addition to Xbox and PC’.
It was widely assumed that Microsoft’s acquisition of Minecraft would mean that it will no longer appear on rival formats – particularly the PlayStation. But as you can see that’s not the case.
This now creates the bizarre situation of Microsoft publishing its own first party game on PlayStation, although in reality they’ll probably do so via a third party.
‘The Minecraft community is passionate and diverse, ranging across all ages and demographics. We respect the brand and independent spirit that has made Minecraft great, and we’ll carry on the tradition of innovation to move the franchise forward,’ said Spencer.
‘We’re excited to confirm that MINECON will continue next year. We’ll look to create even more ways for the vibrant community of YouTubers, innovators, bloggers and players to connect with each other – both in person and online. We will have much more to share in the coming months’.
Mojang has also acknowledged the news on its website, where the developer admitted that they are ‘still working a lot of this stuff out ‘.
However, they did confirm that company founders Markus ‘Notch’ Persson, Carl Manneh, and Jakob Porsér are all leaving as a result of the buyout. What that will mean for Notch’s current project Scrolls is currently undecided.
‘Minecraft has grown from a simple game to a project of monumental significance. Though we’re massively proud of what Minecraft has become, it was never Notch’s intention for it to get this big,’ explains Mojang’s blog post.
‘He’s decided that he doesn’t want the responsibility of owning a company of such global significance. Over the past few years he’s made attempts to work on smaller projects, but the pressure of owning Minecraft became too much for him to handle.
‘There are only a handful of potential buyers with the resources to grow Minecraft on a scale that it deserves. We’ve worked closely with Microsoft since 2012, and have been impressed by their continued dedication to our game and its development. We’re confident that Minecraft will continue to grow in an awesome way.’
Although the deal has been known about for weeks Xbox boss Phil Spencer officially announced the news today, with a post on the official Xbox blog.
‘At Microsoft, we believe in the power of content to unite people. Minecraft adds diversity to our game portfolio and helps us reach new gamers across multiple platforms,’ he said.
‘Gaming is the top activity across devices and we see great potential to continue to grow the Minecraft community and nurture the franchise. That is why we plan to continue to make Minecraft available across platforms – including iOS, Android and PlayStation, in addition to Xbox and PC’.
It was widely assumed that Microsoft’s acquisition of Minecraft would mean that it will no longer appear on rival formats – particularly the PlayStation. But as you can see that’s not the case.
This now creates the bizarre situation of Microsoft publishing its own first party game on PlayStation, although in reality they’ll probably do so via a third party.
‘The Minecraft community is passionate and diverse, ranging across all ages and demographics. We respect the brand and independent spirit that has made Minecraft great, and we’ll carry on the tradition of innovation to move the franchise forward,’ said Spencer.
‘We’re excited to confirm that MINECON will continue next year. We’ll look to create even more ways for the vibrant community of YouTubers, innovators, bloggers and players to connect with each other – both in person and online. We will have much more to share in the coming months’.
Mojang has also acknowledged the news on its website, where the developer admitted that they are ‘still working a lot of this stuff out ‘.
However, they did confirm that company founders Markus ‘Notch’ Persson, Carl Manneh, and Jakob Porsér are all leaving as a result of the buyout. What that will mean for Notch’s current project Scrolls is currently undecided.
‘Minecraft has grown from a simple game to a project of monumental significance. Though we’re massively proud of what Minecraft has become, it was never Notch’s intention for it to get this big,’ explains Mojang’s blog post.
‘He’s decided that he doesn’t want the responsibility of owning a company of such global significance. Over the past few years he’s made attempts to work on smaller projects, but the pressure of owning Minecraft became too much for him to handle.
‘There are only a handful of potential buyers with the resources to grow Minecraft on a scale that it deserves. We’ve worked closely with Microsoft since 2012, and have been impressed by their continued dedication to our game and its development. We’re confident that Minecraft will continue to grow in an awesome way.’
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