What do you think of Microsoft buying Mojang?

[Jas00555]

I'm pretty excited about it. If they do what they did with Skype and slowly transition it to a Microsoft account to sign in, that's an extra 50 million people with a Microsoft account.

Reddit is in a hissyfit lol

 

[Reflexx]

If it means Minecraft in the Windows store I'm happy.

 

[Jas00555]

Actually, now that I think about it more, this could be really good for us Windows/Windows Phone users. Right now, Minecraft has a huge following of super loyal developers for things like servers and skin packs and the rest of that stuff who currently write in Java. If Microsoft rewrites Minecraft to C# (which judging by their past history with Java, they probably will), then that could lead to more developers bring fluent in C# which could lead to more support for Windows as a whole.

 

[jmshub]

I think they paid a ridiculous sum of money for a company that as far as I can tell, doesn't have an obvious upshot. I understand however, that part of this is because they had money offshore that they had to use lest they deal with the repatriation taxes.

 

[DavidinCT]

Yea, don't get me wrong, I like Minecraft for the most point... but, spending 2 billion on a One hit wonder ?

There is a lot better things that could be done for 2 billion dollars (like give me $100 million, lol)

 

[bilzkh]

Microsoft should have spent $2bn buying up innovative software and hardware start-ups.

 

[Reflexx]

Minecraft is more than just a game. It's a whole cultural phenomenon. It's shirts, lunch boxes, posters, toys, etc...

 

[unnatixlr8]

Microsoft should have tried to buy Oculus from Facebook for two billions. That would have made some sense.
But spending ****load of money on a single game is too much. Even Zynga had a rough time after buying OmgPop.

What if Microsoft rewrites MC in C# and modding community starts hating it.
Well I just hope and hope that it turns around good for Microsoft.

 

[xboxonthego3]

The rumor states buying Mojang as a whole not just Minecraft. So there is more value in the deal than just Minecraft. I was kind of shocked by this rumor. I like the idea. It will be interesting to see what comes of it if it actually happens.

 

[Pacus1x]

Yes the deal is for Mojang... but honestly Mojang is just Minecraft, there are 2 more games from it... but those are not even close to popularity of Minecraft. I still think MS is paying too much for a company with one huge IP and two others games with no relevance. If MS wants to pull more products from that studio that would mean an extra investment of those $2.5 billion... i wonder how MS is gonna make worth that investment.

 

[Ed Boland]

All I know, is my kids (12-13 year olds) play the hell out of this game... and it has taught them SO much. I've always been a computer guy myself (since the very early DOS days), and used to wonder if it would rub off on the kids.. well I don't know if it was me or Minecraft honestly. Almost automatically, these kids have been transformed into little hackers! I hear them from the other room talking about running their own servers, custom mods, using their own skins, and building all these amazing maps... and I didn't have to teach them, or show them a thing!!! AND it's a good thing; as I wouldn't know where to begin in building in Minecraft lol (I'm a level designer myself, but use a totally different kind of toolset. I've built levels/maps for games like Doom, Quake3, half life 2, and the Crytek games)
I guess my point is; there's more and more kids being introduced to this technology every day, and Microsoft sees this as the next "emerging market". They're going to turn our next generation of Minecraft fans into Microsoft fans! And even if Minecraft itself fades away, Microsoft will already have the massive framework and server/install base laid out to feed the next big thing into our next generation of little mini-hackers!

 

[Muessig]

All I know, is my kids (12-13 year olds) play the hell out of this game... and it has taught them SO much. I've always been a computer guy myself (since the very early DOS days), and used to wonder if it would rub off on the kids.. well I don't know if it was me or Minecraft honestly. Almost automatically, these kids have been transformed into little hackers! I hear them from the other room talking about running their own servers, custom mods, using their own skins, and building all these amazing maps... and I didn't have to teach them, or show them a thing!!! AND it's a good thing; as I wouldn't know where to begin in building in Minecraft lol (I'm a level designer myself, but use a totally different kind of toolset. I've built levels/maps for games like Doom, Quake3, half life 2, and the Crytek games)
I guess my point is; there's more and more kids being introduced to this technology every day, and Microsoft sees this as the next "emerging market". They're going to turn our next generation of Minecraft fans into Microsoft fans! And even if Minecraft itself fades away, Microsoft will already have the massive framework and server/install base laid out to feed the next big thing into our next generation of little mini-hackers!

This. I think Microsoft didn't do this on a whim, they know how much Minecraft means to this new generation of gamers etc., it's basically this generations version of lego.

 

[Ed Boland]

This. I think Microsoft didn't do this on a whim,.

Exactly, and the people that keep saying that Microsoft is blowing all this money on a "one hit wonder", and that Minecraft is just a fad that's going to fade away just like Farmville, Flappy Bird, Candy Crush and Angry Birds, are completely wrong.... Minecraft is something entirely different. More than just a game, it's a powerful development tool placed in the hands of the brightest, most creative and talented next Gen developers; our kids!

I for one, am excited, and can't wait to see where all this is going. I think it's one of the smarter moves Microsoft has made recently. Maybe even smarter than buying Nokia...

 

[Blkacesvf41]

Exactly, and the people that keep saying that Microsoft is blowing all this money on a "one hit wonder", and that Minecraft is just a fad that's going to fade away just like Farmville, Flappy Bird, Candy Crush and Angry Birds, are completely wrong.... Minecraft is something entirely different. More than just a game, it's a powerful development tool placed in the hands of the brightest, most creative and talented next Gen developers; our kids!



I for one, am excited, and can't wait to see where all this is going. I think it's one of the smarter moves Microsoft has made recently. Maybe even smarter than buying Nokia...

I agree with you. My kids are 9, 7 and 5. When they're playing this game is amazing to hear them exchanging ideas and strategies about how to build this and how to unlock that.

 

[ShinraCorp]

But... but I thought everyone loved Mojang for Cliff Horse and not that rubbish Minecraft game....

 

[bilzkh]

In thinking about this acquisition, the Mojang purchase is a clear sign of Microsoft doubling down on being a powerhouse for cross-platform services and experiences. Of course we can't discount the fact that many children around the world will grow up seeing "Microsoft" pop up every time they boot up the game, but there are a few other things at play here.

I would be interested in seeing how they develop Minecraft on mobile. There is Pocket Edition, but it'll be interesting to see if we'll see a full out Minecraft game developed for light - i.e. phone, tablet and low-end PCs - spec hardware. So while Minecraft works fine on most people's PCs, I wonder if Microsoft will emphasize the need to offer a best of class experience on the hardware people actually use?

 

[HeyCori]

From Engadget's article

Notch's own statements are far more serious. "I don't see myself as a real game developer," his statement leads with. He says that Minecraft became far larger than he ever expected, and that massive entity has become overwhelming for him to deal with. Moreover, he's done with "big" games forever. "As soon as this deal is finalized, I will leave Mojang and go back to doing Ludum Dares and small web experiments. If I ever accidentally make something that seems to gain traction, I'll probably abandon it immediately," he writes. Addressing the subject of the buyout's price, Notch says, "It's not about the money. It's about my sanity."

Sounds like Notch was ready to sell. Microsoft simply took advantage. Can't be mad at that. Plus, I'm hearing estimates that Microsoft will make that money back in roughly 10 months. Not bad for a game that likely has years of life left. In the end though, nothing really changes except Minecraft on more Windows devices.

IMO, the studio still needs to diversify. They wouldn't even have to abandon Minecraft, not with all that money in the bank. They could have several high profile games going at once (though I'd rather see them work on one great game). They could even do the opposite; make several small indie games and see what catches fire. Then, much like Minecraft, exploit the hell out of it.

 

[herbertsnow]

Never played Minecraft, looks way too boring.

 

[Jazmac]

I think this is a much better deal than Apple's purchase of Beat's. Not that Beats is a bad thing per se, but if this game is available on all platforms, that is huge.

 

[TechFreak1]

Minecraft is more than just a game. It's a whole cultural phenomenon. It's shirts, lunch boxes, posters, toys, etc...

Not to mention there even was a Minecraft themed wedding lol..

Never played Minecraft, looks way too boring.

It is basically digital lego.. the potential is only limited by your imagination.

Here is one such example.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NM8b5dasRfM