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Microsoft announces purchase of Minecraft creator Mojang

KyanMehwulfe

KyanMehwulfe

Member
Lego Minecraft, Dora the Explorer Minecraft, Pirates Minecraft, Harry Potter Minecraft, Minecraft McDonald's Happy Meal Promotions, Minecraft the cartoon, Minecraft-themed Candy Crush clone, Minecraft-themed Angry Birds clone, Minecraft-themed Clash of Clans clone, Minecraft Halo, Minecraft everything and everywhere full on assault on the under 18 gaming demographic and their parents wallets the next two-three holidays seasons. That's the only way this could potentially be worth $2.5B.

Which on one hand is terrible if you're attached to how Minecraft was developed and grew. On the other hand, I suppose it's better that the next generation of gamers are raised by exploited Minecraft than exploited Call of Duty. Maybe they'll want to buy 4X Strategy and RTS games when they're older.
 
D

Deadstar

Member
Krisprolls said:
Still, 2.5 billion seems to be a bit too much when all you get is an IP that already peaked.
Click to expand...

It hasn't peaked because Minecraft is a game that will never peak. Do lego's peak? Do lincoln logs peak? You have unlimited creativity when playing Minecraft. It will never peak.

Josman said:
Sigh... there goes hope for Project Morpheus support on PS4.
Click to expand...

Maybe it could still support it? Microsoft wants to make money. They make the most money by putting it on every platform.
 
P

POWERSPHERE

Banned
I shall wait in false hope that Mojang and Palmer Lackey don't get the long, hard dick of the inevitable fucking of their vision bursting their billionaire colons.
 
J

Josman

Member
Bsigg12 said:
Not necessarily. Microsoft has already said they will keep the game going for Playstation systems so it could still happen as long as Sony is willing to work with Microsoft on it.
Click to expand...

They're obviously not going to remove the game from other platforms, I can't even imagine the shitstorm that would ensue, they will keep updating it (maybe) until they recoup some of the costs of that absurd investment, but that's about it. I very much doubt the next Minecraft will even appear on Playstation platforms, they're not gonna help Sony sell systems with VR, they don't even have their own VR solution, they're not stupid.
 
D

DarkHeartedKill

Member
Deadstar said:
It hasn't peaked because Minecraft is a game that will never peak. Do lego's peak? Do lincoln logs peak? You have unlimited creativity when playing Minecraft. It will never peak.



Maybe it could still support it? Microsoft wants to make money. They make the most money by putting it on every platform.
Click to expand...

What in the? You posted before him, yet you quoted him and there is no edited note. I'm beyond perplexed. Anyways aside form that odd instance, I feel Microsoft really wasted 2.5 billion. I doubt they'll make that back from Minecraft, unless they sell stuff like texture packs, skkinpacks, block packs, etc. Then again they could have just wanted it solely for the name and have it under their belt.
 
KyanMehwulfe

KyanMehwulfe

Member
Alebrije said:
Still belive minecraft is the next Mario, MS did a wise move for the future.
Click to expand...
I don't know if it's even likely but I completely agree with you that there's the opportunity, and that's what the $2.5B gamble is for.

It's for Minecraft on the level of mid-1990s Mario promotions. Choose-your-own-adventure books. Commercials, cartoons, movies. Mario puzzle games, Mario art game, Mario shooter games, Mario marketing partnerships with fast food, soft drinks, and pasta. Mario McDonalds, Mario Pepsi. Doctor Mario, Yoshi's Island, Yoshi's Safari, Mario Paint, Mario everything and everywhere. That's how Minecraft is worth $2.5B.

Doing this is unlikely but I think that's the opportunity and that's how you justify gambling $2.5B. Especially when I don't agree at all that it's conclusive in any way that Minecraft has peaked, especially based the under 18 demographic and also both first-party and third-party merchandising sales. In some ways, Minecraft could just be getting started. I think it's a precipice where Minecraft needs to decide if it tries to just make a pure Minecraft hardcore sequel with its hardcore fans in mind, or it tries to take its brand, marketing, and merchandizing to a different level. Microsoft would never pay $2.5B for the former, but it would for the latter. That has to be the justification. It's the only way that Mojang isn't a waste of $2.5B: for Minecraft to be promoted and branded like an early 1990s Mario.
 
J

Josman

Member
DarkHeartedKill said:
What in the? You posted before him, yet you quoted him and there is no edited note. I'm beyond perplexed. Anyways aside form that odd instance, I feel Microsoft really wasted 2.5 billion. I doubt they'll make that back from Minecraft, unless they sell stuff like texture packs, skkinpacks, block packs, etc. Then again they could have just wanted it solely for the name and have it under their belt.
Click to expand...

The game is not gonna be their only source of income; media, toys and who knows what else are gonna play a big part on that. I still think it's a dumb move and that they could have spent the money in funding studios, but hey, it's MS.
 
B

Bsigg12

Member
Josman said:
They're obviously not going to remove the game from other platforms, I can't even imagine the shitstorm that would ensue, they will keep updating it (maybe) until they recoup some of the costs of that absurd investment, but that's about it. I very much doubt the next Minecraft will even appear on Playstation platforms, they're not gonna help Sony sell systems with VR, they don't even have their own VR solution, they're not stupid.
Click to expand...

I think if they do actually do a Minecraft 2, it'll be on Playstation systems albeit after Microsoft launches it first on all their platforms. There is no reason to completely eliminate all of the potential sales from the Sony platforms since there is a population of gamers that will never buy a Microsoft made system. Also, actually buying this is more than a move for just Xbox, this is for Microsoft as a whole. I fully expect the game to be heavily marketed for PC and mobile going forward and them to drive sales there more than the console versions.

As for VR, I think Microsoft will get there eventually. They are pretty much on the clock right now to have a competing system to Sony so I expect to hear something next year, Now that Microsoft is iin charge of Minecraft though, I think Oculus is more likely to get the go ahead to dive in and make the ultimate VR experience there which could be an interesting partnership.
 
Mengy

Mengy

wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
FLAguy954 said:
Also for laughs:

H4vqsCs.jpg
Click to expand...

LOL, that's pretty good.


KratosEnergyDrink said:
Microsoft really thinks Minecraft will last long?

Right now it seems the kids are already turning away and looks for the next best thing.
Click to expand...

Uh, no, that's not really the case at all. In fact it's still growing in popularity. How many kids do you know?
 
M

matty2Dfraud

Banned
Will be interesting to see if Sony allows MS to continue publishing on its platforms. And they should just cancel the vita version right now. What a waste of money/resources.
 
Hawk269

Hawk269

Member
matty2Dfraud said:
Will be interesting to see if Sony allows MS to continue publishing on its platforms. And they should just cancel the vita version right now. What a waste of money/resources.
Click to expand...

Sony would be stupid to stop sales of Minecraft on their systems just because it is owned now by MS. I doubt Sony would do that. However, when MS starts development of the inevitable MineCraft 2, will they also make it for Sony platforms or will they leverage it as a reason to own a MS made console?
 
A

Amir0x

Banned
Stimpack said:
Probably tastes like Mountain Dew Game Fuel.
Click to expand...

Haha. Gross, game fuel.

I mean I think there is definitely the continued case to be made that MS just likes to buy compelling games instead of investing in building compelling things themselves, but I don't think this deal leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Notch gets 2.5 billion, and he can make games other people will love again. Minecraft continues to exist on all platforms, so nothing can change that. And now a hypothetical Minecraft 2.0 can be driven with the funds Microsoft has, can really make it into some crazy game creator concept.

I think in the end it's a net win really. I guess unless you're Sony or Nintendo and you want Minecraft 2.0, which I do doubt Microsoft will be so "generous" as it allow on those platforms.
 
E

EatinOlives

Member
Amir0x said:
Haha. Gross, game fuel.

I mean I think there is definitely the continued case to be made that MS just likes to buy compelling games instead of investing in building compelling things themselves, but I don't think this deal leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Notch gets 2.5 billion, and he can make games other people will love again. Minecraft continues to exist on all platforms, so nothing can change that. And now a hypothetical Minecraft 2.0 can be driven with the funds Microsoft has, can really make it into some crazy game creator concept.

I think in the end it's a net win really. I guess unless you're Sony or Nintendo and you want Minecraft 2.0, which I do doubt Microsoft will be so "generous" as it allow on those platforms.
Click to expand...

You're assuming Microsoft isn't simply going to run it into the ground over the years, which they have with several other things they have acquired before. MC became big largely due to how open and free the game was. Mods played a huge deal in that. I have no reason to automatically assume Microsoft would support modding on a PC version of Minecraft 2.0 if one were to be released.

At this instant MC will remain the same way it did. Moving forward there's really no telling at all where MS will take the game or IP, good or bad. I wouldn't be so fast to call it a "net win" when we have literally no way of telling what they plan to do with the franchise and we obviously have no way of seeing any impact the buyout will have on the franchise because it just happened today.
 
G

Guevara

Member
Amir0x said:
Haha. Gross, game fuel.

I mean I think there is definitely the continued case to be made that MS just likes to buy compelling games instead of investing in building compelling things themselves, but I don't think this deal leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Notch gets 2.5 billion, and he can make games other people will love again. Minecraft continues to exist on all platforms, so nothing can change that. And now a hypothetical Minecraft 2.0 can be driven with the funds Microsoft has, can really make it into some crazy game creator concept.

I think in the end it's a net win really. I guess unless you're Sony or Nintendo and you want Minecraft 2.0, which I do doubt Microsoft will be so "generous" as it allow on those platforms.
Click to expand...

There's this conflict:

- Minecraft 2 exclusivity could really help MS's devices: Xbox, phone, Surface

- But it would derail their platform-agnostic "cloud-first mobile-first" aspirations

I have no idea what they'll end up doing.
 
A

Amir0x

Banned
EatinOlives said:
You're assuming Microsoft isn't simply going to run it into the ground over the years, which they have with several other things they have acquired before. MC became big largely due to how open and free the game was. Mods played a huge deal in that. I have no reason to automatically assume Microsoft would support modding on a PC version of Minecraft 2.0 if one were to be released.

At this instant MC will remain the same way it did. Moving forward there's really no telling at all where MS will take the game or IP, good or bad. I wouldn't be so fast to call it a "net win" when we have literally no way of telling what they plan to do with the franchise and we obviously have no way of seeing any impact the buyout will have on the franchise because it just happened today.
Click to expand...

I mean I have trouble believing they'll have run it into the ground by Minecraft 2.0, which is all I mentioned there. Right now as it stands to me it's a net win up until Minecraft 2.0. Beyond that, who knows. But honestly, Minecraft as a concept doesn't need a billion sequels, so they'll probably make too many sequels eventually, but we'll have got more than we otherwise would have due to this. It doesn't seem like Notch was too interested in a Minecraft 2.0, anyway. So this is at least more than we were likely to get.
 
A

ALLseeingEYE

Member
Rozart said:
What are the chances that they'd bring it over to the Wii U?
Click to expand...

This post makes me almost feel bad. Cute avatar, naive question, kind of sad for Nintendo since they missed this boat but...probably zero chance at this point.

If MS had purchased Minecraft before it hit Sony, it would likely never have shown up their either. Minecraft would would have been amazing for Nintendo players, they really should have gotten off thier arses and made it happen a long time ago.
 
E

EatinOlives

Member
Amir0x said:
I mean I have trouble believing they'll have run it into the ground by Minecraft 2.0, which is all I mentioned there. Right now as it stands to me it's a net win up until Minecraft 2.0. Beyond that, who knows. But honestly, Minecraft as a concept doesn't need a billion sequels, so they'll probably make too many sequels eventually, but we'll have got more than we otherwise would have due to this. It doesn't seem like Notch was too interested in a Minecraft 2.0, anyway. So this is at least more than we were likely to get.
Click to expand...

That's true, I don't think we would've ever seen a successor had Mojang stayed independent. Now, it's in the cards.

What's good about right now is that Microsoft really can't run anything into the ground. It's been expanded I think to as many platforms as it can be expanded to. Mods by the hundreds, if not thousands, have come and gone, so that community is there to stay. The online infrastructure is there. Pocket/Mobile edition is up and running. It's been confirmed that all planned versions on next-gen consoles will continue. Everything is established, if not a little past its prime. There's really nothing for MS to ruin right now.

The only thing I'll be pissed is if Microsoft decides to make a new game and do all the wrong moves. I know when you said it's a "net win" you mean for right now, but I can't help but think of the future. Or, let's say, they do something like integrate their Cloud/Azure stuff into Minecraft so now suddenly all the new versions of MC will have a server authentication aspect to them, and then they don't feel like providing access to outdated versions because they really don't care about them. Or they decide to add DRM to the game instead of being this lightweight client+user authentication system that they have right now. I think potential shitty changes could be gradual and just eventually sour the whole experience, whereas with Mojang it would've stayed stagnant but nothing would've been soured either.
 
S

sankao

Member
I'm curious to see how the modding community will react. Right now it looks like a mix of wait and see and 'I quit' knee-jerk reaction. To me it's likely that modding as it is will not thrive under Microsoft. I'm hoping that they federate and finally make minecraft mods standalone.
 
B

Bsigg12

Member
smurfx said:
will microsoft allow an oculus minecraft port now?
Click to expand...

Windows 9 exclusive in collaboration with Oculus.

Joking aside, I feel they are more likely to be open to working with Oculus/Facebook on that to drive a VR edition of Minecraft. We'll see though.
 
Mengy

Mengy

wishes it were bannable to say mean things about Marvel
sankao said:
I'm curious to see how the modding community will react. Right now it looks like a mix of wait and see and 'I quit' knee-jerk reaction. To me it's likely that modding as it is will not thrive under Microsoft. I'm hoping that they federate and finally make minecraft mods standalone.
Click to expand...

What the game needs is the God Damned mod API that Mojang has been working on glacially for over a year now. That, and bukkit functionality integrated into the server client. If Microsoft could do those two things, and maybe even offer a persistant online Minecraft Worlds or some kind of multiplayer / cloud feature, well that would be amazing.

Thing is they have the resources to make this happen in ways that Mojang has proven can't. Will they though is the real question.
 
S

sankao

Member
Mengy said:
What the game needs is the God Damned mod API that Mojang has been working on glacially for over a year now. That, and bukkit functionality integrated into the server client. If Microsoft could do those two things, and maybe even offer a persistant online Minecraft Worlds or some kind of multiplayer / cloud feature, well that would be amazing.

Thing is they have the resources to make this happen in ways that Mojang has proven can't. Will they though is the real question.
Click to expand...

I don't see Microsoft having much motivation to support the modding API. I see them likely to make sure that the mobile and Xbox version gain as much traction as possible, in order to push their devices. Those devices are not well suited for mods, and if mods are seen as providing the definitive Minecraft experience, they will be actively detrimental to Microsoft's objective.
An added issue for mods is that the current modding frameworks make extensive use of decompiled Minecraft code, which Mojang let fly, but Microsoft's legal team may see it as a dangerous precedent, and push for extreme measures to be taken in order to prevent them. I'm not certain what they could do, perhaps a crc check on the loaded executable before being authorised to sign on. Of course, that's for the medium term, for the long term, they may choose to go for a full rewrite, or a PC port of the current console version.
Long story short, I think stagnation in version 1.6.4 or 1.7.10 is the most likely scenario for modding, with a possibility (maybe 30% ?) of Microsoft changing the authentication in order to discourage modding as it is done today (they'd probably call it anti-cheat ?) within a year or so.
 
H

HeeHo

Member
diamount said:
Erm... Minecraft 2 is a 100% certainity.
Click to expand...

This is what I think. I'm pretty pessimistic about it too, right now it's hard not to envision Microsoft pushing for an undercooked sequel with a bunch of new mechanics that will ultimately be less preferred to the original.

On the other hand, I want to be proven wrong. I feel like a Minecraft sequel would be so hard to tackle the right way.
 
F

FleetFeet

Member
KyanMehwulfe said:
Lego Minecraft, Dora the Explorer Minecraft, Pirates Minecraft, Harry Potter Minecraft, Minecraft McDonald's Happy Meal Promotions, Minecraft the cartoon, Minecraft-themed Candy Crush clone, Minecraft-themed Angry Birds clone, Minecraft-themed Clash of Clans clone, Minecraft Halo, Minecraft everything and everywhere full on assault on the under 18 gaming demographic and their parents wallets the next two-three holidays seasons. That's the only way this could potentially be worth $2.5B.

Which on one hand is terrible if you're attached to how Minecraft was developed and grew. On the other hand, I suppose it's better that the next generation of gamers are raised by exploited Minecraft than exploited Call of Duty. Maybe they'll want to buy 4X Strategy and RTS games when they're older.
Click to expand...

Sounds like franchise fatigue...
 
U

UntoldDreams

Member
Microsoft does not invest so much money without some plan. Assuming they stay true to form they will "game" the system without "breaking" the system.

Much like how they would not force you to upgrade windows but after they stop supporting security patches and IE etc... you would be an idiot to not upgrade.


Example:
Exclusive updates or expansions to Minecraft which will make all other versions the "gimped second class citizen".

Imagine all the official updates, skins, new monsters, features only on MS sanctioned devices and everyone else "out of luck".

They didn't prevent other platforms from getting it but they just made it second class citizen.
 
S

Solaire of Astora

Death by black JPN
Deadstar said:
It hasn't peaked because Minecraft is a game that will never peak. Do lego's peak? Do lincoln logs peak? You have unlimited creativity when playing Minecraft. It will never peak.
Click to expand...

Lego.

And besides that, it's possible that people could move on to the next big thing. Personally, I think it could go either way. There's no guarantee that minecraft will have such a long lasting appeal. I don't doubt that it has legs, but it's possible that the next big thing comes along and knocks it off it's feet.

Funny you should mention lego, btw. Lego itself almost became extinct until they realized that they were more popular with adults and started marketing it accordingly. And they're not doing too well at the moment if memory serves.
 
B

Beautifully Shaped Monsters

Member
Solaire of Astora said:
Lego.

And besides that, it's possible that people could move on to the next big thing. Personally, I think it could go either way. There's no guarantee that minecraft will have such a long lasting appeal. I don't doubt that it has legs, but it's possible that the next big thing comes along and knocks it off it's feet.

Funny you should mention lego, btw. Lego itself almost became extinct until they realized that they were more popular with adults and started marketing it accordingly. And they're not doing too well at the moment if memory serves.
Click to expand...

You are wrong as to why Lego was struggling:
http://www.businessweek.com/innovate/content/jul2010/id20100722_781838.htm

They are quite healthy now too.
 
K

Kariodude

Banned
When MTV sold the rights to publishing Rock Band, MadCatz started publishing Rock Band 3 in the middle of the game's life. If you already owned the game, the game was patched to show the Mad Catz logo instead of the MTV Games logo. Imagine booting up Minecraft on your PS4 and seeing the Microsoft logo. That's possible now right?
 
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