Microsoft Buys Mojang: What's Next?

Image courtesy of Kotaku

After weeks of speculation and rumor, Microsoft officially purchased Mojang, creators of the hugely successful game Minecraft, for $2.5 billion. On the surface, this seems like a huge win for Microsoft, whose Xbox One has been struggling to keep up with the PlayStation 4 in sales. Minecraft has grown from a small yet ambitious game into a media empire; it is quite hard to go anywhere these days without seeing a Minecraft themed product. Having full ownership of the Minecraft brand will no doubt bring Microsoft a boost in revenue, as they already expect to break even on the deal by June of next year.

Marcus "Notch" Persson, creator of Minecraft and Mojang Studios, was the one to instigate the deal and has officially left Mojang and the gaming industry, citing that he wanted to focus on smaller projects and stay out of the public eye. Persson stepped aside from developing and adding to Minecraft a few years ago, giving that position to fellow Mojang programmer Jens Bergensten. Persson tried to create another game in hopes to match Minecraft's ambition and popularity, but cancelled the project after having, as he put it, "creative struggles". 

I can fully understand where Persson is coming from; Minecraft started as a small project he worked on for a long time that unexpectedly became a massive worldwide success. Gamers everywhere have waited on baited breath for his next game, and that kind of expectation can really wear someone down. Persson is a very smart guy, and it is slightly troubling to see one of the industry's brightest and most creative minds leave it so suddenly, especially when there has been a distinct lack of imagination in the gaming industry as of late. Perhaps most surprising of all is the fact that Persson has been very vocal about his dislike for Microsoft, yet they were the first company he ever considered selling Mojang to.

When I first read about the acquisition, there were two things that came into my mind:

1. Microsoft is infamously known for buying other game development studios and stifling their creativity. The most famous example of this is when they bought British developer Rare in 2002. Rare developed some of the most well-known and iconic games in history, notably Donkey Kong Country, Goldeneye 007, and Banjo-Kazooie. Today, Rare has been forced by Microsoft to make games exclusively for the Xbox's Kinect peripheral; all of their releases since being acquired by Microsoft have been received poorly by critics and gamers alike. My fear is that the same fate awaits Mojang, especially now that Persson is no longer a part of it. Hopefully Microsoft lets the studio have creative freedom and does not let business get in the way of imagination.
2. As I stated earlier, Minecraft is everywhere. The game is on just about every gaming platform imaginable, including Sony's PS3 and PS4, two of the Xbox's rival consoles. Minecraft is famous for being constantly updated, as the game is never truly meant to be "completed". Now that Microsoft has the rights to Minecraft, future updates for versions of the game not on Microsoft's consoles could potentially stop. Mojang and partner 4J Studios have a PlayStation Vita version in the works, and if Microsoft says so, it may never be released. Microsoft claims that other versions of the game will continue to be supported, but only time will tell is that remains true.

The fact is simple: Microsoft now owns Mojang, Minecraft, and everything else that comes with it. In the business world you cannot avoid things like this; companies are designed to make money, and if that means buying other companies to do so, then so be it. Only time will tell what this acquisition ultimately means for the industry, but for the time being, I am a little nervous about the future.