Following rumors of a potential acquisition, Microsoft on Monday confirmed that it will be purchasing Mojang, the developer of the insanely popular Minecraft game, for $2.5 billion. As noted, the move isn’t unexpected, but it is a notable one for a company struggling to break into the mobile market in a big way, and one that’s also embroiled in a ‘console war’ with Sony’s PlayStation 4. To put the popularity of the game into perspective, Minecraft has been purchased more than 16.5 million times by Mac and PC users alone. It’s also available on a range of consoles and other platforms, and in total, has sold more than 54 million copies. Clearly, with this purchase, Microsoft is hoping to be able to tap into that massive pool of loyal players. As part of the deal, the Mojang team will be brought under Microsoft Studios, where other exclusive franchises such as Forza Motorsport, Halo and Fable are managed.
Read the full story at The Next Web. Read the open letter from Minecraft creator Notch at The Verge.