Report: Microsoft may buy Minecraft studio Mojang
Microsoft is in serious discussions to buy Mojang, the independent Swedish studio responsible for Minecraft, in a deal estimated at more than $2 billion, The Wall Street Journal reports. An agreement could be signed this week, the site says.
Mojang has historically been proud of its independence, shying away from acquisition offers and from entering the public market. Mojang co-founder and Minecraft mastermind Markus "Notch" Persson turned down a job in 2010 at the most desirable gaming company in America, Valve, in order to continue work on Minecraft.
Last year, Mojang co-founder Carl Manneh said to Reuters, "We've always felt that the independence we have is one of our core strengths. We can take decisions by going into a room and in 15 minutes we're done. We try to be extremely agile, to release games quickly."
In 2013, Mojang brought in a reported $326 million in revenue. Asked about the deal, a Microsoft spokesperson told Joystiq, "We don't comment on rumors or speculation." We've reached out to Mojang for clarification.
