Microsoft is reportedly finalising a deal to acquire Swedish games developer Mojang, the creator of the absurdly popular Minecraft, for $2 billion.
According to The Wall Street Journal, a "person with knowledge of the matter" said the deal could be finalised as early as next week. So far, Microsoft and Mojang have refused to comment on the matter.
The New York Times also reports that Microsoft first approached Mojang about a deal almost three months ago. At that time, the paper said Mojang considered a sale and that Microsoft made an initial offer soon after. A deal could be agreed by the end of the month.
This would come as a surprising move, as Mojang founder Markkus Persson, also known by his gamer name "Notch", has been very critical of big corporations in the past - so much so that he cancelled the Oculus Rift version of Minecraft soon after Facebook acquired the VR company in March.
However, according to The New York Times, Notch may not stay with the company for more than six months if a deal is eventually agreed. Who could blame him with $2 billion to play with? However, he is allegedly pressing Microsoft to make sure it retains his company's younger developers.
Persson founded Mojang in 2010 and has since released Minecraft for multiple platforms. As of June, Mojang had sold more than 54 million copies of the game worldwide and has most recent released the game for Xbox One and PS4 earlier this month.
That's in addition to all of the Minecraft paraphernalia that you can buy, ranging from dedicated guides to the game to fluffy toys. As a result, in the last year alone Mojang has made $100 million profit.
