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发帖数: 54598 | 1 Microsoft Says It Will Pay $2.5 Billion for Company That Created Minecraft
By MICHAEL J. DE LA MERCED and NICK WINGFIELD SEPTEMBER 15, 2014 9:34
AMSeptember 15, 2014 11:29 pm 14 Comments
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Microsoft’s deal with Mojang, the Swedish company that created the world-
building computer game Minecraft is expected to be completed late this year.
Microsoft’s deal with Mojang, the Swedish company that created the world-
building computer game Minecraft is expected to be completed late this year.
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Document: Press Release
Microsoft Sees More Than Fun in a Game Like Minecraft
Bits Blog: Minecraft’s Creator, the Ambivalent Billionaire (Sept. 15, 2014)
Microsoft agreed on Monday to buy the company behind Minecraft, the world-
building computer game, for $2.5 billion in a cash deal meant to add the
immensely popular title to its stock of content.
Last week, Microsoft was reported to be in talks to buy the company to
ensure that the games was available for its family of devices.
As part of the deal, employees of Mojang, the Swedish developer that created
Minecraft, will join Microsoft Studios, which already publishes games like
the blockbuster Halo.
Yet Minecraft looks little like Halo and its Hollywood-level graphics. Its
worlds look blocky, like pixelated Legos. But the gameplay — focused on
building elaborate virtual structures — has drawn a huge and dedicated
following around the world.
Games remain one of the biggest categories of apps, including those for
mobile devices. Adding one of the most popular offerings could help bolster
Microsoft’s Windows series of devices, including phones and tablets.
In a news release, Microsoft said that its cloud and mobile offerings would
help add more sophisticated worlds, development tools and ways for players
to connect with one another.
“Gaming is a top activity spanning devices, from PCs and consoles to
tablets and mobile, with billions of hours spent each year,” Satya Nadella,
Microsoft’s chief executive, said in a statement. “Minecraft is more than
a great game franchise — it is an open world platform, driven by a vibrant
community we care deeply about and rich with new opportunities for that
community and for Microsoft.”
A promotional trailer for Minecraft.
One person who will not stick around to see what changes lie in store for
the game, however, is Minecraft’s creator, Markus Persson. Mr. Persson —
better known by his gamer tag Notch — wrote in an unusually candid blog
post exactly why he would leave Mojang after the closing of the deal, which
is expected late this year.
Rather than engage in fist-bumping or writing a missive to users about how
selling his baby will only expand Minecraft’s horizons, Mr. Persson sounded
as if he were having a large tumor excised from his body. He described the
pressures of being the figurehead of such a big and influential game as too
much for him to bear.
“I’ve become a symbol,” Mr. Persson wrote. “I don’t want to be a symbol
, responsible for something huge that I don’t understand, that I don’t
want to work on, that keeps coming back to me. I’m not an entrepreneur. I’
m not a C.E.O. I’m a nerdy computer programmer who likes to have opinions
on Twitter.”
Mr. Persson and Mojang had repeatedly rebuffed takeover entreaties in the
past, but by the time Microsoft made an initial approach about three months
ago, the game developer was more willing to consider cashing out.
In June, he posted the following on Twitter:
Mr. Persson is expected to make nearly $1.8 billion from the deal.
Taking the lead in the negotiations was Carl Manneh, Mojang’s chief
executive, who will leave along with his fellow co-founders, Mr. Persson and
Jakob Porser. Some of the most important objectives for the company,
according to people briefed on the talks, were ensuring that the Minecraft
community would be preserved and that younger developers at Mojang would
have jobs after a deal.
Mojang was advised by JPMorgan Chase. | z****e
发帖数: 54598 | 2 minecraft就是一个用java世界里面最冷门的组件
造出了一个m$历史上大手笔的收购
哈哈，m$当初就是把java的applet和desktop那些扼杀的真凶
现在这样大出血去收购这么一个东西，这不是打自己的脸么？
for what？三个创始人在完成收购了集体离职
人也没留下，怎么看都觉得m$做了一次冤大头
minecraft要是被搞死就搞笑了，25亿的大投入
买了一个废物，臭臭赶紧来悲愤 |
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