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Report: Microsoft Closes In On Deal To Purchase Minecraft Developer
According to the Wall Street Journal, Mojang is close to becoming a part of the same studio family as Rare, Lionhead, and 343 Industries.
The newspaper claims that the deal could be worth nearly $2 billion and could be done within the week.
The deal would go some way to bolstering Microsoft's first-party lineup for the Xbox One, which is notably thin at the moment. Minecraft has already sold more than 50 million copies across PC, iOS, Android, Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Vita, Xbox One, and PlayStation 4. It remains to be seen if Microsoft would pull the versions from other platforms. This would seem to be a folly given that the game made $100 million just last year.
We've reached out to Microsoft and Mojang for comment.
Our Take
If this acquisition goes through, it's a bold move on Microsoft's part, but the timing is rather strange. Why make the deal after the game is already out for your rival console? This could hint that Mojang may have a new game on the horizon. In addition to Minecraft, the studio has published Scrolls and Cobalt.
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