Bloomberg: Mojang's Notch 'unlikely' to stay on after MS buyout
If Microsoft's reported attempt to buy Mojang is successful, a Bloomberg source says founder and owner Markus "Notch" Persson is "unlikely" to stay on at the Swedish studio afterwards. According to the source, which Bloomberg notes as a person "familiar with Microsoft," the two companies are finalizing details after agreeing a framework and approximate price, which The Wall Street Journal and Bloomberg believe to be in excess of $2 billion. Bloomberg's insider adds Persson will remain to help during a transition period, but will probably leave the company afterwards.
Yesterday The Wall Street Journal claimed Microsoft is in talks to buy Minecraft studio Mojang, and "three people with knowledge of the talks" back that up for Bloomberg. Both Microsoft and Mojang declined to comment to Bloomberg, while a Microsoft spokesperson told Joystiq, "We don't comment on rumors or speculation." According to the reports, the deal could be finalized this week.
The news comes the week after Mojang launched Minecraft for Xbox One and PlayStation 4, having already sold 54 million copies on other platforms as of June 2014. Those phenomenal sales translate into big cash, with Mojang's 2013 revenue believed to be $326 million.
[Image: Mojang]
