If this was coming from anywhere but a place like The Wall Street Journal, I probably would have blinked and moved on, but here we are. The publication is reporting Microsoft may finalize a deal to buy Mojang, creators of Minecraft, in a $2 billion deal this week.
Yeah. $2 billion.
The WSJ described the talks as "serious discussions." This would mean they've gone far past the flirtation stage of negotiations.
A deal like this suggests Microsoft views Minecraft as the new Lego, a product with mindshare among children for generations. It might also suggest Mojang realizes it will never make another game like Minecraft, and it's better to cash in now. It's also possible all of this could fall apart in the next few days.
This would also be slightly surprising to hear from creator Markus Persson, who has actively railed against the sale of other companies, such as Oculus. In the past, he's said he wanted to remain independent.
It's not uncommon for big companies to acquire studios after a surprise hit, though it's probably not fair to describe Minecraft that way anymore. If we're to entertain the idea of a sale, it raises some big questions about the future. Minecraft just launched on PlayStation 4, and a Vita version is on the way. The mobile versions of Minecraft have been some of the most consistent sellers on every platform. Would Microsoft really consider pulling the plug on those versions? That's hard to imagine--it'd be throwing away money.
What, then, is Microsoft's longterm plan for Minecraft? Perhaps ongoing development is stopped on the other versions, and the Xbox and Windows Mobile versions become the "superior" editions of Minecraft? A huge part of Minecraft's appeal is its modability, and its availability on platforms like the PC and Mac.
Or maybe Microsoft just leaves it alone? Hmm. It's possible. But companies love to meddle.