Microsoft is nearing a deal to buy Mojang AB, makers of the Minecraft video game franchise, according to a new report. According to the Wall Street Journal, the deal would value Mojang at more than $2 billion and could be signed as soon as this week. Microsoft and Mojang declined to comment to the Journal. As the Journal notes, the move would be surprising given that Mojang founder Markkus “Notch” Persson, is a darling of the indie gaming scene who has avoided taking venture capital. He has also criticized Microsoft’s Windows 8 for potentially being “very, very bad for indie games.” Minecraft, which first came out in 2009, has sold more than 50 million copies. Stockholm-based Mojang had $100 million in profits last year, according to the Journal. It’s a reflection of the fact that Minecraft, an open-world game where players can build almost anything they can imagine while avoiding spiders and other dangers, has become a multi-platform global phenomenon.
Read the full story at The Verge, and the original report at The Wall Street Journal (paywall).