It didn't take long for rumors to become fact. Microsoft has closed a deal to purchase Mojang, which means Minecraft is moving under the Microsoft umbrella. Expected to close before the end of the year, the deal is worth $2.5 billion.
Minecraft creator Markus Persson, however, will not be staying along for the ride. He's leaving Mojang for personal reasons.
"As soon as this deal is finalized, I will leave Mojang and go back to doing Ludum Dares and small web experiments," said Persson in a blog post. "If I ever accidentally make something that seems to gain traction, I’ll probably abandon it immediately. Considering the public image of me already is a bit skewed, I don’t expect to get away from negative comments by doing this, but at least now I won’t feel a responsibility to read them. I’m aware this goes against a lot of what I’ve said in public. I have no good response to that. I’m also aware a lot of you were using me as a symbol of some perceived struggle. I’m not. I’m a person, and I’m right there struggling with you."
Microsoft already confirmed existing versions of Minecraft will continue to be developed and supported. That means Minecraft isn't disappearing from Android, PlayStation, or iOS. It's unclear what Microsoft's longterm plans are for Minecraft, but it's status quo for the time being.
Xbox head Phil Spencer released a video talking about his relationship with Persson and Mojang alongside the deal's announcement.
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The company says Minecraft under Microsoft will soon benefit from "richer and faster worlds, more powerful development tools, and more opportunities to connect across the Minecraft community." No timetable has been given for any of this, however.
Microsoft also expects its deal to pay off almost immediately. It anticipates the deal will break-even by the end of fiscal year 2015, which ends on June 30, 2015. That's not very far off.
It'll probably be a while before we learn what Persson is up to next.
"It’s not about the money," he said. "It’s about my sanity."