It was rumored all week and today it’s official.
Microsoft has purchased Mojang, the developer behind Minecraft.
While a purchase price has yet to be confirmed, Microsoft was reportedly willing to pay $2.5 billion dollars for the acquisition.
Many fans of Minecraft were worried this would spell disaster for their favorite game. Phil Spencer came to Microsoft’s defense in a blog post on Xbox Wire stating
Gaming is the top activity across devices and we see great potential to continue to grow the Minecraft community and nurture the franchise. That is why we plan to continue to make Minecraft available across platforms – including iOS, Android and PlayStation, in addition to Xbox and PC.
and…
The Minecraft community is passionate and diverse, ranging across all ages and demographics. We respect the brand and independent spirit that has made Minecraft great, and we’ll carry on the tradition of innovation to move the franchise forward. Our investments in cloud, Xbox Live and mobile technology will enable players to benefit from richer and faster worlds, more powerful development tools, and more opportunities to connect with the Minecraft community.
Spencer also confirmed that MINECON, the convention dedicated solely to Minecraft is expected to return next year after Mojang pulled out of one this year.
