Rygterne talte sandt: Microsoft køber Minecraft
Microsoft køber det svenske firma Mojang, der står bag det populære computerspil Minecraft, som i dag storhitter på både Xbox og pc-platformen.
Den officielle meddelelse om købet kommer, en lille uge efter de først rapporter om købet dukkede op i internationale medier.
Microsoft betaler 2,5 milliarder dollar (14,3 milliarder kroner) i handlen, som man forventer at kunne afslutte endeligt inden årets udgang.
"Minecraft udvider vores spilportfolio og gør os i stand til at nå nye spillere på tværs af platforme," siger Microsofts chef for Xbox, Phil Spencer.
Microsoft vil satse på at udvide det globale community omkring Minecraft via dets egne platforme Xbox og Windows, men vil også holde Minecraft åben på iOS, Android og Playstation.
Skaberen af Minecraft, svenskeren Markus Persson, har besluttet ikke at gå med over til Microsoft i forbindelse med overtagelsen. Han har tidligere kritiseret Microsofts seneste version af Windows.
En del investorer har løbende opfordret Microsoft til at forlade spilmarkedet og sælge sin Xbox-division helt fra.
Det har dog ikke gjort indtryk på Microsofts nye topchef Satya Nadella, som med købet fastholder Microsofts satsning på dette marked.
"Gaming omfatter en stribe devices - fra pc'er og konsoller til tablets og mobiltelefoner. Minecraft er en åben platform med et levende community, som er rigt på nye muligheder for Microsoft," lyder det i en kommentar fra Microsoft-bossen.
Analytikerne ser købet af Minecraft, som en vej til større udbredelse af Microsofts knap så succesfulde mobil-styresystem Windows Phone, hvor Minecraft hidtil ikke har været tilgængeligt.
I en kommende Windows-version af spillet vil det derfor være oplagt, at nogle funktioner og muligheder kun vil være tilgængelige via Windows-versionen.
Læs også:
Danmark smadret i populært computerspil
10 fede spil der kan køre på en elendig pc
Læs Markus "Notch" Perssons farvel-brev
I forbindelse med salget skrev Markus Persson samtidig et afskedsbrev, som handler om hvorfor han vælger at sælge og trække sig tilbage. Det blev oprindeligt udgivet på hans blog.
I'm leaving Mojang
September 15th, 2014
I don't see myself as a real game developer. I make games because it's fun, and because I love games and I love to program, but I don't make games with the intention of them becoming huge hits, and I don't try to change the world. Minecraft certainly became a huge hit, and people are telling me it's changed games. I never meant for it to do either. It's certainly flattering, and to gradually get thrust into some kind of public spotlight is interesting.
A relatively long time ago, I decided to step down from Minecraft development. Jens was the perfect person to take over leading it, and I wanted to try to do new things. At first, I failed by trying to make something big again, but since I decided to just stick to small prototypes and interesting challenges, I've had so much fun with work. I wasn't exactly sure how I fit into Mojang where people did actual work, but since people said I was important for the culture, I stayed.
I was at home with a bad cold a couple of weeks ago when the internet exploded with hate against me over some kind of EULA situation that I had nothing to do with. I was confused. I didn't understand. I tweeted this in frustration. Later on, I watched the This is Phil Fish video on YouTube and started to realize I didn't have the connection to my fans I thought I had. I've become a symbol. 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 CEO. I'm a nerdy computer programmer who likes to have opinions on Twitter.
As soon as this deal is finalized, I will leave Mojang and go back to doing Ludum Dares and small web experiments. If I ever accidentally make something that seems to gain traction, I'll probably abandon it immediately.
Considering the public image of me already is a bit skewed, I don't expect to get away from negative comments by doing this, but at least now I won't feel a responsibility to read them.
I'm aware this goes against a lot of what I've said in public. I have no good response to that. I'm also aware a lot of you were using me as a symbol of some perceived struggle. I'm not. I'm a person, and I'm right there struggling with you.
I love you. All of you. Thank you for turning Minecraft into what it has become, but there are too many of you, and I can't be responsible for something this big. In one sense, it belongs to Microsoft now. In a much bigger sense, it's belonged to all of you for a long time, and that will never change.
It's not about the money. It's about my sanity.
