There were speculations going on about Microsoft buying out Mojang and the rights to the Minecraft franchise. This would make one of the most popular independent games apart of the X-Box family.
Well today, the speculation became a reality. Microsoft bought out the rights to Minecraft, making them the sole owners of the franchise
Mojang has confirmed it's being sold to Microsoft for $2.5 billion.
The news was confirmed on the developer's official site,
in which it also went into some of the reasons for the decision. As has
previously been discussed, a large part of it centers on founder Markus
‘Notch’ Persson growing tired of working for such a big organisation.
He and the two other founders, Carl and Jakob are all leaving the
company following the deal.
"Minecraft has grown from a simple game to a project of monumental significance. Though we’re massively proud of what Minecraft
has become, it was never Notch’s intention for it to get this big," a
statement reads. "As you might already know, Notch is the creator of Minecraft
and the majority shareholder at Mojang. He’s decided that he doesn’t
want the responsibility of owning a company of such global significance.
Over the past few years he’s made attempts to work on smaller projects,
but the pressure of owning Minecraft
became too much for him to handle. The only option was to sell Mojang.
He’ll continue to do cool stuff though. Don’t worry about that.
"There are only a handful of potential buyers with the resources to grow Minecraft
on a scale that it deserves. We’ve worked closely with Microsoft since
2012, and have been impressed by their continued dedication to our game
and its development. We’re confident that Minecraft will continue to grow in an awesome way."
First off, a special and hearty good luck to Notch and the gang following Microsoft's buyout. I hope your next project becomes a great experience for people to enjoy.
Second off, what does this mean? It means that now Microsoft owns the rights to Minecraft, they can do whatever they want, even if it means pulling the game from the Non-Microsoft stores like iOS, Android, and Playstation. Stick that in your pipe and smoke it. I bet Microsoft wouldn't keep the other versions retroactive.
As had been reported, the PC, Mac, Xbox 360, Xbox One, PS3, PS4,
Vita, iOS, and Android editions will continue to be supported and
developed as they currently are, despite the deal. While the blogpost
promises things will continue to develop, it's unlikely to stop players
from making videos, mods or anything else that makes Minecraft so special today. The post concludes by explaining its unclear where this leaves other projects, like Scrolls, but it seems Minecraft is Microsoft's main focus.
*Jaw drops*
Okay. It appears I have been mistakened. It looks like Minecraft will remain in support throughout the year. Fans of Minecraft on any system right now will continue to support it. And believe it or not, a Vita version is still due out soon. But what will become of Minecraft in the future? Maybe a cameo by Halo's Master Chief, or a Bear and Bird crew from Rare?
Works Cited:
IGN
Monday, September 15, 2014
Saturday, September 13, 2014
NPD July and August 2014: Double Dose comparison
Instead of the usual single NPDs, we're double downing on the NPD by comparing months. How's that for a change of pace?
First, for July:
At number 10: Lego Marvel Super Heroes by Warner Bros and Traveler's Tales for the 360, PS3, Xbone, PS4, 3DS, DS, Wii U, Vita and PC. And Disney is still letting Warner Bros do this?
At number 09: NBA 2K14 by Take 2 Interative for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4 and PC. Slam Dunk-y
At number 08: Sniper Elite III by 505 Games for the 360, PS3, XBone and PS4. Finally, a game not made by Activision, Take 2, Ubisoft, EA, or any of the 3 hardware makers
At number 07: GTA V by Take 2/Rockstar for the 360 and PS3 with an impending XBone and PS4 versions coming out soon
At number 06: Call of Duty: Ghosts by Activision for the XBone, PS4, 360, PS3, Wii U and PC. Seriously, how is this game still popular?
At number 05: Mario Kart 8 by Nintendo for the Wii U. Coming soon: Koopalings in Smash Bros
At number 04: Watch Dogs by Ubisoft for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4 and PC. A Wii U version is due out in November
At number 03: FIFA 14 by EA for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4 and Vita. Wait, wasn't there suppose to be a PC version?
At number 02: Minecraft by Mojang for the 360 and PS3. XBone and PS4 versions now available.
And at number 01: Last of Us by Sony for the PS3 and PS4. Exactly what was the point of a lack of BC?
Now let's compare that to the August 2014 software numbers. Let's see what changed.
At number 10: The LEGO Movie Video Game by Warner Bros Interative for the 360, 3DS, PS3, Wii U, PS4, Xbone and Vita. Too bad there aren't any playable Turtles in this game. :(
At number 09: Battlefield 4 by EA for the 360, PS3, Xbone, PS4 and PC. Still buggier than Windows ME, that's for sure.
At number 08: Watch Dogs by Ubisoft for the 360, PS3, Xbone, PS4 and PC. I still think Saints Row 4 is better.
At number 07: Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare by EA/Popcap Games for the 360, PS3, PS4 and XBone. And yes, a PC version does exist on Origin.
At number 06: LEGO Marvel Superheroes by Warner Bros Interactive for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4, PC, and Wii U. Now with 20% more Howard the Duck
At number 05: Call of Duty: Ghosts by Activision for the 360, XBone, PS3, PS4, Wii U and PC. Sales of this will slow down due to Destiny.
At number 04: Last of Us by Sony for the PS4 and PS3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes this is not.
At number 03: Minecraft by Mojang for the 360 and PS3. I heard rumors that Microsoft is gonna buy out Mojang.
At number 02: Diablo III: Reaper of Souls by Activision for the PS3, 360, PS4, XBone and PC. No one can stop Death
And at number 01: Madden NFL 2015 by EA for the 360, PS3, Xbone, PS4 and PC. The only bright spot to the problems with the NFL, ironically.
Comparing the two months, games like Mario KArt 8, Sniper Elite III and GTA V fell off in favor of Madden, Diablo and Battlefield.
In both months, Sony is leading the pack both hardware and software wise with the PS4 and PS3 leading the sales pack combined while software is giving Sony a boost against Microsoft's XBone and Nintendo's Wii U, despite the slow months and the XBone's price drop. As of July, the PS4 has surpassed 10 million units sold, as the fastest selling Playstation in history, despite having no BC like the Playstation 2 did.
What does September bring us with Destiny and Hyrule Warriors? Stay tuned
Works Cited:
NeoGAF(NPD July)
NeoGAF(NPD August)
First, for July:
At number 10: Lego Marvel Super Heroes by Warner Bros and Traveler's Tales for the 360, PS3, Xbone, PS4, 3DS, DS, Wii U, Vita and PC. And Disney is still letting Warner Bros do this?
At number 09: NBA 2K14 by Take 2 Interative for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4 and PC. Slam Dunk-y
At number 08: Sniper Elite III by 505 Games for the 360, PS3, XBone and PS4. Finally, a game not made by Activision, Take 2, Ubisoft, EA, or any of the 3 hardware makers
At number 07: GTA V by Take 2/Rockstar for the 360 and PS3 with an impending XBone and PS4 versions coming out soon
At number 06: Call of Duty: Ghosts by Activision for the XBone, PS4, 360, PS3, Wii U and PC. Seriously, how is this game still popular?
At number 05: Mario Kart 8 by Nintendo for the Wii U. Coming soon: Koopalings in Smash Bros
At number 04: Watch Dogs by Ubisoft for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4 and PC. A Wii U version is due out in November
At number 03: FIFA 14 by EA for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4 and Vita. Wait, wasn't there suppose to be a PC version?
At number 02: Minecraft by Mojang for the 360 and PS3. XBone and PS4 versions now available.
And at number 01: Last of Us by Sony for the PS3 and PS4. Exactly what was the point of a lack of BC?
Now let's compare that to the August 2014 software numbers. Let's see what changed.
At number 10: The LEGO Movie Video Game by Warner Bros Interative for the 360, 3DS, PS3, Wii U, PS4, Xbone and Vita. Too bad there aren't any playable Turtles in this game. :(
At number 09: Battlefield 4 by EA for the 360, PS3, Xbone, PS4 and PC. Still buggier than Windows ME, that's for sure.
At number 08: Watch Dogs by Ubisoft for the 360, PS3, Xbone, PS4 and PC. I still think Saints Row 4 is better.
At number 07: Plants vs Zombies: Garden Warfare by EA/Popcap Games for the 360, PS3, PS4 and XBone. And yes, a PC version does exist on Origin.
At number 06: LEGO Marvel Superheroes by Warner Bros Interactive for the 360, PS3, XBone, PS4, PC, and Wii U. Now with 20% more Howard the Duck
At number 05: Call of Duty: Ghosts by Activision for the 360, XBone, PS3, PS4, Wii U and PC. Sales of this will slow down due to Destiny.
At number 04: Last of Us by Sony for the PS4 and PS3. Dawn of the Planet of the Apes this is not.
At number 03: Minecraft by Mojang for the 360 and PS3. I heard rumors that Microsoft is gonna buy out Mojang.
At number 02: Diablo III: Reaper of Souls by Activision for the PS3, 360, PS4, XBone and PC. No one can stop Death
And at number 01: Madden NFL 2015 by EA for the 360, PS3, Xbone, PS4 and PC. The only bright spot to the problems with the NFL, ironically.
Comparing the two months, games like Mario KArt 8, Sniper Elite III and GTA V fell off in favor of Madden, Diablo and Battlefield.
In both months, Sony is leading the pack both hardware and software wise with the PS4 and PS3 leading the sales pack combined while software is giving Sony a boost against Microsoft's XBone and Nintendo's Wii U, despite the slow months and the XBone's price drop. As of July, the PS4 has surpassed 10 million units sold, as the fastest selling Playstation in history, despite having no BC like the Playstation 2 did.
What does September bring us with Destiny and Hyrule Warriors? Stay tuned
Works Cited:
NeoGAF(NPD July)
NeoGAF(NPD August)
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