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Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

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Re: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

#51

Post by theandrewbailey »

> At the same time, Mr. Nadella has said Microsoft views videogames as a way to expand the company's footholds in PCs and mobile phones.

Really? The company that owns Windows feels that it doesn't have enough foothold on PCs? Really? If Nadella is talking about PC gaming, then I get it. I find it difficult to believe that they are serious about it. Remember that Games for Windows thing that Microsoft epically failed to act on?

They don't need to buy game studios, they could do fabulously by releasing old Xbox exclusives on PC. If they released that Halo Collection on PC, I'd buy it right away.

Re: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

#53

Post by tzs »

thepumpkin1979 wrote: post #8

I hit that paywall every single time. Can we have a rule against posting links with paywalls? WSJ and other websites can either disable it for HN or we don't link to these websites at all.

I suspect that many here actually subscribe to WSJ, the NY Times, the Economist, and other common paywalled newspapers and magazines that get submitted here.

I don't see why they should be forbidden from discussing that material here just because some of us might have trouble seeing it. Enough people apparently CAN read them for them to get lots of comments, lots of up votes, and get a lot of people "liking" them on Feedly (this story seems to be the most liked non-Apple submission today on the main RSS feed).

Also, in most of these discussions of paywalled stories, other sources pick up on the news fairly quickly. There are dozens within the last hour reporting on this particular one. None have as much detail as the WSJ article, but many give enough information to allow one to reasonably follow the discussion here and participate meaningfully.

Re: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

#54

Post by MrZongle2 »

__Joker wrote: post #29
tdicola wrote: post #22

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The ability to make a popular game franchise exclusive to their gaming hardware. Just take some money you would have spent on advertising and dump it into buying some franchises for exclusivity. Also since Mojang is a European company MS can no doubt use some of it's $90+ billion stockpile of money outside America without getting hit for taxes.

But minecraft already released on ps4. Unlesss MS buys and takes back the minecraft of ps4, there is no exclusivity. This move will make MS face a shit-storm. The gamers are not taking well to tomb raider (timed) exclusivity. It is accepted that you can have exclusive gaming franchise. But you should not most certainly take a multi-platform and try to make it exclusive.

But minecraft already released on ps4. Unlesss MS buys and takes back the minecraft of ps4, there is no exclusivity.

True.

Unless you planned on a Minecraft 2. The brand name, the look and feel and the concepts within the game are still worth a lot.

Re: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

#56

Post by thetabyte »

Given everything I've read from Notch in the last year or two, I would be highly unsurprised if he wasn't pushing this as a way to dump his hands of anything to do with business and/or notoriety (as much as he ever will be able to). His recent sentiments have expressed a lot of regret that he is no longer able to spend his time doing simple game programming & experimentation with a decent level of obscurity -- and I can't blame him for it. This is wild speculation, of course.

Re: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

#57

Post by seanmcdirmid »

manachar wrote: post #46

What an odd rumor that I hope is just that. Notch has a history of bashing Microsoft and MS's efforts to lock down Windows and Microsoft has a pretty bad track record when it comes to acquisitions. They seem to kinda squash anything interesting out of them to try to force that acquisition into helping the MS/Xbox brand. If anyone buys Mojang I really hope it's either Valve or a company much like it. They seem much mo…

WSJ does have a very good track record on rumors (disclaimer: MS employee but with no knowledge at all on whether this is true or not, and no opinion about it).

Re: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

#59

Post by rodgerd »

bshimmin wrote: post #50
georgemcbay wrote: post #33

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don't have any "FU money", but it seems very likely to me that once you have that sort of money, there are only a couple of reasons to run it up any further: 1) You have "Big Plans" that need funding (eg. Elon Musk) 2) Running up the numbers as a life gamification to "beat" your peers, or just because you can't stop chasing yourself, like one of those freak beast weightlifters that looks like a space monster but is…

Now I'm imagining Larry Ellison as a "freak beast weightlifter". Thanks.

Post-steroid Vince McMahon with a beard. HTH.
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