When did Microsoft buy Minecraft? Minecraft is a sandbox game developed by Mojang Studios and originally released in 2009. The game was created by Markus “Notch” Persson in the Java programming language. Following several early private testing versions, it was first made public in May 2009 before being fully released in November 2011, with Notch stepping down and Jens “Jeb” Bergensten taking over development. Minecraft has become the best-selling video game in history, with over 300 million copies sold and nearly 140 million monthly active players as of 2023. It has been ported to several platforms.

In Minecraft, players explore a blocky, procedurally generated, three-dimensional world with virtually infinite terrain. Players can discover and extract raw materials, craft tools and items, and build structures, earthworks, and machines. Depending on their chosen game mode, players can fight hostile mobs, as well as cooperate with or compete against other players in the same world.

Game modes include a survival mode (in which players must acquire resources to build in the world and maintain health) and a creative mode (in which players have unlimited resources and access to flight). The game’s large community also offers a wide variety of user-generated content, such as modifications, servers, skins, texture packs, and custom maps, which add new game mechanics and possibilities.

When did Microsoft buy Minecraft?

Minecraft was initially developed by Swedish gaming studio, Mojang (which was later renamed Mojang Studios). Markus “Notch” Persson served as the game’s primary creator, while Jens “Jeb” Bergensten took over from him when the game was released fully in 2011.

Mojang was acquired by Microsoft in September 2014 in a $2.5 billion deal. The move paved the way for the game to be introduced to a larger selection of platforms and a new audience: Xbox players. Additionally, they have kept a steady chain of updates in progress, ensuring that new content keeps making its way to the community.

Another major feature that was added to the game after the acquisition was a rework of PVP in the “combat” update. While the community was divided on whether it was a good change or an unnecessary one, it did send shockwaves through the system as it brought upon an attack cooldown system.

Microsoft’s acquisition of Mojang: Everything Minecraft players need to know

Initially, the game’s creator, Markus Persson, had no intentions of selling the game. A plethora of high-profile companies had already approached Mojang with offers of up to $1 billion, including Activision Blizzard, Valve Corporation, and Electronic Arts (EA).

Additionally, firms like Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners had also shown interest in acquiring the company. However, all their requests were denied since Mojang already had an adequate amount of money.

Closing in on the deal

Initially, the game’s creator, Markus Persson, had no intentions of selling the game. A plethora of high-profile companies had already approached Mojang with offers of up to $1 billion, including Activision Blizzard, Valve Corporation, and Electronic Arts (EA).

Additionally, firms like Sequoia Capital and Accel Partners had also shown interest in acquiring the company. However, all their requests were denied since Mojang already had an adequate amount of money.

On June 17, 2014, Notch sent out a tweet that signaled that he wanted to leave. The tweet was a result of a great deal of pressure and unhappiness that Notch was experiencing. The primary reason for this was the grand scale of the game’s success, and the limelight it forced him into.

Following the tweet, Microsoft, among many others, came to Persson with an offer to acquire Mojang. The offer was discussed by Persson and his hired financial advisors from the investment firm JPMorgan Chase.

Subsequently, the deal went public and it was announced that $2.5 billion would be spent on the entire acquisition. On November 6, 2014, Mojang officially became a part of Microsoft Studios.

Aftermath of Minecraft’s sale

Markus Persson ended up leaving Mojang after the acquisition, having earned $1.8 billion from the deal. In a farewell letter that he had published on his personal website (formerly notch.tumblr.com; now inactive), Markus had talked a fair bit about why he did what he did. From his words, it was clear that the events leading up to the acquisition had taken quite a toll on him.

A look at Minecraft and Notch’s current scenario

Microsoft’s acquisition of Mojang was one of the biggest things to ever happen to the game. Minecraft is one of the most-loved games ever.

With a monthly player base of almost 140 million players, the game’s popularity isn’t any closer to taking a hit. According to a 2021 fact sheet from Xbox News, the game has sold more than 238 million copies, making it the best-selling video game of all time.

The game recently released one of its biggest updates, the Caves and Cliffs part 2 update, and is set to release another major update this year.

Notch is still an extremely popular figure within the Minecraft community. In 2020, he made an appearance in Dream’s Minecraft Manhunt series, and has since taken to posting Factorio and Satisfactory gameplay on his YouTube channel and Twitter.

Microsoft Proves Minecraft Was One Of Their Best Buys Of All Time

Microsoft reported their Q3 earnings with a few facts about how successful they’ve been with Minecraft. Minecraft, created by Markus Persson (Notch) was acquired by Microsoft in the year 2014 for approximately $2.5 billion USD. This week Microsoft revealed some facts about how the franchise is doing and where they are with what’s widely regarded as the best-selling video game of all time.

Minecraft is one of the most long-lasting games ever made, appearing on multiple platforms over the course of the past decade. Minecraft (Java Edition) was first launched in May of 2009, available for Windows, Mac OS X, and Linux. Since then, Minecraft has been launched on Android, iOS, Kindle (Amazon stuff), Gear VR, Oculus Rift, Fire TV (Amazon’s Android again), Xbox One, Windows MR, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox Series X, and PlayStation 5 (with PS4 backward compatibility).

Earlier versions of the game were available for Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, Wii U, and Nintendo 3DS. Microsoft suggested this week that Minecraft is available now on a total of 22 platforms. Basically Minecraft is on more devices than you can shake a stick at.

They also reported that Minecraft Marketplace creators have generated “more then $350 million to date” worldwide, and more than 1 billion unique pieces of content have been downloaded from this same Minecraft Marketplace. Microsoft stated that, as of April of 2021, Minecraft has “up to 139 million monthly active players.” Microsoft also suggested that as of April of 2021 more than 238 million copies of Minecraft have been sold worldwide.

The most striking bits of the report released by Microsoft here in the Spring of 2021 has to do with awareness of the brand – this on top of the sales numbers and active population numbers make Minecraft one of the most clearly great investments in a brand that Microsoft has ever made. In the company report released this week, Microsoft said that “90 percent of the U.S. online population is aware of the Minecraft brand,” and that “more than 50 percent of kids age 9-11 play Minecraft” in North America and Europe.

Above is information about When did Microsoft buy Minecraft? What is this Microsoft? that we have compiled. Hopefully, through the above content, you have a more detailed understanding of Microsoft buy Minecraft. Thank you for reading our post.