Microsoft reportedly looking to buy Minecraft developer

That is just sad...

I can't imagine someone making games unless that is one of their favorite things to do. I honestly don't even understand why someone would make games when they like doing "other things" ... "a lot more". How is it not your ultimate dream? How do you even have time do anything else except breathe game development, eat while programming, and sleep while thinking about game design? lol jk.

How can you call yourself a gamer!?!?!? Nerdlinger for life! *fists bumps other nerdlingers*

Jokes aside...Perhaps you should quit and chase a dream in testing sporting equipment? That is a real job, testing jet ski's. You could also whore yourself out for money and vacations from a rich sugar daddy. From the sound of it and the low quality of your (often troll) posts, it sounds like you'd be better at it anyway.

 

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Besides being disgusted by that troll guy (James), I actually do have a brief opinion on the matter.


Minecraft is done. Completed. Released. Many years supported.
Notch has milked it dry and has tons of money.
So who cares?

Unless he wants to make a Minecraft 2, which I doubt, then he probably could care less about selling the game. Then again, he could sell it AND still make Minecraft 2, just with a different label. More than likely, microsoft wont do much to minecraft even if they owned it. How can they? It's an old game by now. It's already famous, already popular. At worst, people can just use old versions and avoid future updates. At best, it becomes different or "fresh" for some users.

Minecraft 2 may make a lot of money, but notch doesn't need anymore money. That, and he gets money by selling the IP so who cares?

As long as he is free to do whatever he wants after selling it, then I could care less. It's not a big deal either. As a game developer, I want to make tons of video games. Different genres. Different themes. Different games. If I had a single series I loved and wanted to make more of, then I'd do that. However, I don't know if I'd want to do that. If I thought I ever MIGHT want to, I wouldn't sell for any amount of money if I was already a multi-million dollar success. There is no need for money once you have plenty. However if I didn't care about the game or "series" or IP anymore, I might consider selling it. At least then the fans can get another game out of it, even if it's different. That's better than the IP disappearing forever because I grew tired of it.

If however I could use the money to make better games different games, or the same game rebranded but improved with a bigger budget- I might consider it if I did not have multi-millions.

In the end, I hate microsoft and would take into consideration the moral implications of selling out to such an awful business. I'd consider the fans, not just my selfish plans. I'd consider my future plans, what would happen to my creation, etc. I don't know what I'd do.

However, Minecraft isn't this phenominal game that cannot be recreated or improved upon. If notch wanted to sell it and make minecraft 2 but call it "MinerCraft 2", he could and there's nothing Microsoft could do about it.

If notch had to bow to microsoft by becoming their employee and being responsible to do things for them? I'd laugh them out of the room and might troll the guy from microsoft talking to me. I'd never work for a company like microsoft, and if I was a multi-million dollar bigtime developer like notch, the last thing I'd ever do is work for another company other than my own.

Integrity > Money.
Freedom > Money.
Indie Dev > Money + AAA Company Dev.
Everything > Money.

The entire idea of game developers quiting AAA companies to begin their own indie startup is the epitome of putting creativity and happiness over monetary gain and financial security. Indie4Life!

 

Microsoft Minecraft, windows build-in game, only support windows

 

Minecraft is already huge on the xbox.

Nearly every kid with an xbox 360 owns or wants to own minecraft.

In a way, Microsoft already kindof owns some of Minecraft

 

Hahahahahhaha, nice

 

MS wants to buy the developer. Not the game. When you enter a deal like that there will be massive clauses severely limiting what you could do with the IP or on your own after that.

 

I doubt making Minecraft exclusive to Windows and the XBox will result in any economic effect that balances out the two billion dollars Microsoft wants to spend on Mojang. Not ruling out that Microsoft will do that, but I'm pretty sure that's not the reason why they want to buy Mojang.

Anyway, let's just wait until the facts are on the table.

 

Notch is not selling his independence. He already stated that he will remain in Mojang for a while to help the transition, but then he will leave to do his stuff. So it's just money. More than two billions of that. And about Microsoft, I don't have the requisites to tell what their strategy is, but I suppose it's not just about games but about marketing. We'll probably see all types of Minecraft characters advertising Windows and the Xbox

 

How many copies of Windows and how many XBoxes do you think advertising with Minecraft characters will sell? I bet you they are not enough to get $2billion additional revenue.

 

Well it's Microsoft, they must have some decent business plan and/or idea if they're willing to cash that much money. Maybe they want to create Minecraft robots, sell them cheaply, and then activate them with a secret password a year later and conquer the world.

 

I really think Microsoft is in it for the Minecraft IP.
As a dev studio Mojang is meh, not terrible, but not awesome either. They we're at the right place at the right time.
But the Minecraft IP, that's a huge cash cow. Lego sets, creeper plush toys in Walgreens, etc... and that's what's currently on the shelves. The kids LOVE Minecraft. Just wait for what the toy aisle will look like after the Microsoft marketing dept gets a hold of this.

 

Sound about right, the console and mobile versions are not build by Mojang and if they have the IP they can make a full load of _enter bad_word_here_ games for any platform that they like and can do basically whatever they what.

And if they do not need the studio anymore -> Tada you are fired.

 

You can sell an IP, and then make something that is nearly identical but different enough to not be considered copyright infringement.

Like the journeys of Frobo the Hobbie, with his magical friend Grandalf, Aragron the king, Gimil the dwarf, Legolos the elf, and his best friend Sem, all trying to take the magical necklace of invisibility to Mt. Gloom whle being chased by the forces of Sauren and stalked by the twisted Golem who considers the necklace to be his "dearest".

 

Those are all porn movies, right?

 

The game itself isn't important, the gamers attached to it are.

 

I like how you call James a troll, which is reasonable, when you can't go two posts without personally insulting someone.

 

Only if the people who bought it are silly, as discussed earlier...

 

Keep it clean folks, will just delete troll posts and hand out infractions otherwise, and that means I have to click and I'd rather just type more code.

 

What Microsoft is looking for are Minecraft fans. Just imagine Minecraft 2 exclusive to Microsoft platforms (or maybe just XOne) that will make XOne sales rise a lot.

 

Microsoft may be pretty dense at times, but their legal department is both competent and well funded. They would win.

 

Like I said before - how many XBones are they going to sell with a Minecraft 2 that's exclusive to the XBone? And anyway, isn't Minecraft pretty much over? Also, wasn't it made great by modding, something console games have lots of trouble with?

Even if you add the Windows into the mix - I doubt the revenue would be anywhere near the two gigabucks Microsoft is spending on this.

 

LOL, Minecraft 2 on supposedly next-gen hardware. I think in this economic climate where people are more judicious about what they spend on entertainment - they are going to look at Minecraft's 8-bit graphics and think why would they want to spend money for it so they can play on their next-gen hardware.

Face it, Minecraft is a dead IP that buffoons at Microsoft bought it. Notch can't even think of a new idea and probably abandoned that "Minecraft in Space" game (I think it is called 0x10c) since he will be leaving Mojang soon.

 

Win?

There is nothing someone can do to stop you from making a new IP, a new game, a totally different project.

Sorry, but no. That is why you see clones of popular games but with different IPs or art styles.

If you could sue for "copying my game too much" then clones and slightly altered copies or spoofs wouldn't exist.

 

Non-Compete Clause. We already had that topic in this thread.

 

Stats on MC being dead? 0x10c was abandoned like a year ago because he felt to much pressure or something.

 

With 0x10c, he basically killed it before he pulled a Peter Molyneux, and had to ship disappointment by the truckload. I just vaguely remember the pitch ideas and thought either this is going to be another dwarf fortress that would end up as his life's pursuit or two-thirds of the goals won't get anywhere close to their mark.

 

I don't see why that would be, his idea was totally doable and he could of funded the project easily.

 

Bare in mind I had only heard a couple blog posts from years ago (including the post about it's axing), but I remember some pretty lofty ideas, or at least ideas that where easy to be misinterpreted as far loftier.

 

No, clones have nothing to do with it.

The key difference is that clones are made by different people - people who haven't signed away their right to compete in a particular area. Waiving that right is typically a major part of the purchase agreement when an IP/company/etc. is bought - the purchaser doesn't want the prior owners devaluing it by taking their knowledge elsewhere or creating a competing product.

 

https://mojang.com/2014/09/yes-were-being-bought-by-microsoft/

Please change topic title.

 

I guess that deal is done.... moving on.

 

Yeah, the deal is official and Notch is incredibly rich

Oh, and Microsoft released this:

 

According to Notch, he couldn't stand the attention he got as head of Mojang anymore, which was the main reason for selling Mojang, and he also mentions the Phil Fish debacle.

How much of this stuff needs to happen before the gaming community finally becomes a less toxic place? m(

 

Could you imagine if minecraft two exclusive for Xbox one is what wins the console wars. Still haven't the game because it doesn't seem interesting to me

 

That pastebin letter is one of the few things I've seen Notch say that increased my respect for him. Fans are bittersweet I suppose, great that they're a fan, but terrible because they're clueless and fickle. I suppose on a large scale that saps at your sanity/humanity.

 

According to Mojang, that is definitely not going to happen. I also assume that Seb & Co. will retain a lot of control over Mojang. Microsoft has done a lot of questionable stuff lately, but they are not idiots. They will be smart enough to recognize Mojang works good as it is, and I'm not afraid of them meddling with Mojang so much that it will ruin Minecraft.

So, let's all turn the apocalyptical prophecies down a notch (see what I did there), shall we?

 

MMM according to Mojang... oops they dot have any power anymore...
If Microsoft like to replace the whole minecraft team with Xbox one loving guys ...nothing can stop them... except eventual common sense, but that i have not seen @Mirosoft for a long time.
maybe they wake up if the community is giving them hell.
On windows 8 they could do what every the think is funny because everyone that like to have a new OEM PC have not choice.
On the minecraft community the people will get mad if M$ have a funny idea like the windows 8.1 "Start Menu" in minecraft.

 

I don't think this situation is unique to game development.

The personally to create and build up a company is completely different then the personally needed to run a billion dollar company.

He is smart to get out completely which will give him to do whatever he wants.

2.5 billion... wow.

 

So you know how the negotiations between Notch and Microsoft went? Tell me more, please!

Also, Mojang has worked with Microsoft before and according to them, Microsoft was pretty much dedicated to Minecraft. I assume Notch wouldn't have sold Mojang to Microsoft if he wasn't pretty much sure Microsoft won't run it to the ground.

Also also, Microsoft is one of the biggest companies of the world, which means that those to blame for the Windows 8 UI (which I, for one, completely fail to hate) probably have other things to do than to ruin Minecraft by, say, making everything in the game blocky and rectangular. Oh, wait a second, it already is. But you probably get my point.

 

Yes, I would.

 

Maybe Windows 10 will have a 3D Minecraft style UI

 

Translation: 2 billion was hard to ignore.

Fact is, no sane person would turn down a figure like that.

 

"If you're not principled when you're 25, you have no heart. If you haven't sold out by the time you're 35, you have no brain."

- Winston Churchill

True story.

 

At this point, Notch would've been an idiot not to sell. Assuming he's getting a nice percentage of the 2.5B, the guy basically just unlocked the "infinite money" cheat code for the rest of his life.
From what I gathered, he wasn't particularly interested in being involved in the continued development of Minecraft, and none of his other projects since Minecraft seemed very promising (last thing I saw was "horse on a hill" or something--or was that just a joke?).

As for MS's plan with Minecraft, who knows? They acquired Rare and basically just ran them into the ground, IP's and all. But on the flipside, they purchased Bungie and made the Halo IP into the flagship exclusive for Xbox. I've never personally really been into Minecraft--so for me it'll be interesting to watch and see how this all plays out.

 

It seems that the world has a new billionaire : http://www.gameskinny.com/dyxfx/minecraft-dev-notch-to-get-14-billion-from-microsoft-mojang-buyout

http://news.xbox.com/2014/09/games-minecraft-to-join-microsoft

 

That's not the quote. The quote is "If you're not a liberal when you're 25, you have no heart. If you're not a conservative by the time you're 35, you have no brain."

And, as much as I love that quote, he probably never said it.

 

I really doubt it was because of the Phil Fish debacle. He made 1.4b off selling Minecraft, he's set for life along with his great great great grandchildren. You'd have to be insane not to take it.

 

Windows 95: Minesweeper.
Windows 9: Minecraft.

Hmmm. Not sure if graphics have improved ...

Anyway, congrats to Notch for making out like a bandit.

 

Maybe Notch will buy Unity