Report: Microsoft Is About To Own Minecraft

You may have not heard of Mojang AB, but you've likely heard of their cornerstone product Minecraft. The Swedish Development house behind the super-simple game are reportedly in late stage acquisition discussions with Microsoft. The deal is said to be valued at roughly $2 billion.

It's a curious move for a variety of reasons. As The Wall Street Journal points out, Mojang founder Markus Persson has resisted investment from outside sources before, and rallied other Developers against big companies, Microsoft included.

The homegrown game has spun a massive fan base, and impressive revenue stream. Not only available as a game, Minecraft also has toys and other merchandising opportunities.

Though Persson once railed against corporations, he's also been found to reverse course. In the wake of Facebook purchasing Oculus, Persson famously tweeted Minecraft would not be made for the VR headset. He's since cooled down, and Minecraft is indeed on track to be virtual reality fodder for our eyes.

A runaway hit amongst casual gamers, Minecraft is steadfastly planted. It wouldn't give Microsoft a new audience, per se, but it will give them a new, immediate revenue stream. Once Oculus hits — Minecraft alongside it — that income will only increase.

Source: The Wall Street Journal