Wow they're not even hanging out to do a song and dance for a few years like the Bioware guys did, eh? I always figured something like that was part of these purchase contracts.
Mojang Joins Microsoft; Founders Notch, Carl, Jakob Leaving
- Thread starter roseofbattle
- Start date
2.5 billion, i think with that kinda money, i would become a globe trotting billionaire, buy a jet, buy a jet pack! hell buy a space ship!
Congratulations to Notch for getting 2.5 billion dollars of retirement money. Also, open question to Microsoft what the hell are you doing? It seems like Microsoft is using its gaming division as a profit sink to avoid paying taxes or something.
Anyway how long before Microsoft screws this up and never sees a return on investment?
Anyway how long before Microsoft screws this up and never sees a return on investment?
I'm no naif, but wtf with the negativity folks? When did we become so thin skinned that the success of someone whose game we like becomes the basis for questioning integrity, and the best we can do is offer grudging congratulations tinged with sour-grapes bitterness? Goddamn.
There was a guy, he made a game. It was simple, it was fun, and he put it out there for the world to play for a pittance. And lo! People came, and played and it was cool for many years. Later, he gets offered crazy-pants money by a corporation and thought that sounded like a pretty good deal.
Anyone who's an aspiring programmer ought to read this as straight up inspiration. Not because getting crazy-pants money is a reason to make games but because he completed a project, and people liked it, and he made a living doing what he enjoyed. What about this is not cool?
So bravo, Notch, Carl, Jakob, and anyone else I might be missing. I hope you continue to have good fortune and enjoy life. Make more neat stuff.
As for Microsoft - a corporation sees something innovative and successful and buys it. What about this is surprising? It's what they do. Yeah, they'll probably change things. And it's ok for them to do it, too, because they bought the thing. They're not a museum.
If you're really unhappy about this, go make stuff. Minecraft was made by a guy, not handed down from the gods. You can do better, the same way humanity has always done better, by standing on the shoulders of those who came before them.
The king is dead. Long live the king.
Go be that king.
There was a guy, he made a game. It was simple, it was fun, and he put it out there for the world to play for a pittance. And lo! People came, and played and it was cool for many years. Later, he gets offered crazy-pants money by a corporation and thought that sounded like a pretty good deal.
Anyone who's an aspiring programmer ought to read this as straight up inspiration. Not because getting crazy-pants money is a reason to make games but because he completed a project, and people liked it, and he made a living doing what he enjoyed. What about this is not cool?
So bravo, Notch, Carl, Jakob, and anyone else I might be missing. I hope you continue to have good fortune and enjoy life. Make more neat stuff.
As for Microsoft - a corporation sees something innovative and successful and buys it. What about this is surprising? It's what they do. Yeah, they'll probably change things. And it's ok for them to do it, too, because they bought the thing. They're not a museum.
If you're really unhappy about this, go make stuff. Minecraft was made by a guy, not handed down from the gods. You can do better, the same way humanity has always done better, by standing on the shoulders of those who came before them.
The king is dead. Long live the king.
Go be that king.
Microsoft is crazy. What is their plan? Make a Minecraft sequel and hope it becomes as popular as the original? It's like hoping you win the lottery twice. Also, with Notch and the other founders gone , all Microsoft basically bought is the 'Minecraft'-name.
The thing about Microsoft isn't about what he buys. It's what he does with them. There have been good things in the past (like Halo), but also bad ones. Rare was bought, and instead of expanding the reach of their popular IP's they put it to develop Kinect games. Besides, Microsoft has developped such anti-consumer strategies that I don't trust it anymore.Elijah Newton said:
Minecraft was made by one guy, but it became great because of 5 years of support from and towards the Internet community.
A King is nothing without his kingdom.
Was Snow Crash not grim and unfriendly enough already?Me55enger said:
Anyway, I'm just glad they're still making it for other platforms, me and my brother play it on PS3. And I'm not TOO worried about Microsoft. They've published plenty of good, varied games. They're hardly EA or Activision.
I don't mean to quibble but Microsoft is an 'it,' not a 'he.' Don't mistake it for a person or ascribe it personality traits like a gender or being worthy of trust. It is just a thing. [ edit - ok, though I did notice that I was calling Microsoft 'they' in my first post, so do as I say not as I doCaitSeith said:
]"but it became great because of 5 years of support" ?I see your point, but I don't agree with it.
The community did not develop around a crap product out of the goodness of its heart and a desire to make some great thing down the road. There was a thing a guy made, people had fun with it and the creator(s) had the common sense not to fight folks as they started to make a community around it. The community did not come first and was not part of the game until they chose to become involved. The game, the thing which attracted the community, was made by one guy and (later) a laughably small company.
So it is with due respect I say to you sir or madam as regards kings and the making thereof : Get the tools you need, get off your posterior, and make. A new. Kingdom.
(please)
Notch is the owner of Minecraft. It's his name and his company's name on the title screen. He's the one collecting the profits. The team working on it works for him. He can say, "Put this in there / don't put that in there," and it will be done. It's his responsibility to see that his product is of high quality.toms said:
Or it was. Everything from here on out can be blamed on Microsoft.
Mincraft's user base is continuing to grow. Ignoring the PS4 and Xbone releases, all other versions combined (as of June of the this year) have sold 54 million copies. Buying Minecraft has given Microsoft a first party title on their competitors' platforms, which means that even with the slow sales of the Xbone, they have a game that's making money. A game that has it's own convention, toys, and a potential movie in the works, is indeed worth billions of dollars.Karadalis said:
Plus, they get the smug satisfaction of having a game on three Sony machines.
EDIT: The original said the 360 version sold 54 million units. It should have read all versions combined.
As for the game itself, a strict hand over the devs means that new updates will occur more frequently.
Notch didn't own 100% of the company; he shared ownership with at least two other people. He just somehow became the public face of it, possibly because of his appearance in Indie Game: The Movie. He could - and did - step away to do other things and leave all decisions regarding development to the others.Veylon said:
The one thing MS could do that I would be behind is adding actual support for modding and allow mod makers to monetize. Currently mod makers are abused for providing their free mods, both socially and programmatically. Minecraft is NOT inherently modable, there is no official api which requires mods to be updated with each release. As such mod makers take alot of heat when they don't update fast enough or have support this or that other mod or whatever other negative things people perceive. This kind of environment causes moders to leave the scene. Giving mod makers incentive to continue providing excellent, game extending content would be an overall positive.
That said... MS will probably require gold membership for online play, require existing customers to re-purchase (somehow), and lock the game down so that you can't distribute free mods even if you want to...
That said... MS will probably require gold membership for online play, require existing customers to re-purchase (somehow), and lock the game down so that you can't distribute free mods even if you want to...
That doesn't gel with their statement of committing to fully support the game on all platforms. They're still releasing the Vita version. If anything, we can expect more DLC, sure. But feature content updates will continue to be free.Burnhardt said:
I for one can't possible fathom how Microsoft expects to get a return on their investment without screwing this up. Realistically Mojang was Minecraft and Minecraft was Notch. Mojang on it's own isn't going to catch lightning in a bottle again and make another massive hit, so the value is in Minecraft itself. But Minecraft has been out for years now and already sold like 50 million units, it's not going to make much more money through sales.
That leaves two possibilities I see for untapped revenue:
1. Microsoft plans to 'monetize' the existing user base
2. Microsoft will be seeking value through Minecraft branding and merchandizing: movies, toys, etc
Or some combination of the two, maybe there's other ways but I'd think those would have to be the biggest. Of course #1 seems the most immediate and efficient path for return on investment, and is the one everyone's dreading.
That leaves two possibilities I see for untapped revenue:
1. Microsoft plans to 'monetize' the existing user base
2. Microsoft will be seeking value through Minecraft branding and merchandizing: movies, toys, etc
Or some combination of the two, maybe there's other ways but I'd think those would have to be the biggest. Of course #1 seems the most immediate and efficient path for return on investment, and is the one everyone's dreading.
I truely do not get why Microsoft would pay this much for Mojang. I like them, I like their game, but how is it worth 2.5 billion? Especially since basically the entire team behind their one big hit is leaving? So what are they getting? The Minecraft name? You're hoping that game's fans won't notice that Minecraft 2: Revelations (Only on XBox One!) isn't being made by the guy who's famous for making the game on his own?