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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

#161

Post by jebblue »

skyebook wrote: post #79
arrrg wrote: post #61

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They still sell around 10k PC copies per day … It’s not growing, but it’s also not exactly shrinking (I remember obsessively checking those stats years ago and they always hovered around 10k), and hasn’t for years. Minecraft might be a different beast than other video games, truly more like Lego than video games actually. There are always new young people you can sell the game to and with constant maintenance for fre…

I like this strategy a lot. When you release something that, on day one, already has 'dated' graphics, you don't have to worry about keeping up with the latest graphics cards or poly-counts or anything of the sort. Its just about the game. Like Legos there are countless others, The Game of Life (Milton Bradley, not Conway) has been around since the 1800's. The beauty of this is that you've never completely saturated…

Arguably dated graphics yes but amazing computational thinking and creative empowerment combined with exciting gameplay.

Re: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

#163

Post by jebblue »

Pyrodogg wrote: post #21
jaimebuelta wrote: post #18

Mmmm... this would be quite surprising, actually. Notch always seemed to be very fond of his independence, and he sure has enough money to back his position.

Notch has been enjoying the independence so much that he's also not very involved with Mojang anymore. He hasn't worked on Minecraft in quite a while and last 'big' expectation, 0x10c didn't develop very far. Notch seems very content to just participate in things like Ludum Dare, make games and enjoy life.

Notch could make a dozen failed games the next 2 decades and it wouldn't tarnish his reputation; he should try and see and tell Microsoft and EA to take a hike.

Re: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

#164

Post by neves »

javert wrote: post #93
MrZongle2 wrote: post #43

Earlier quoted context omitted.

More devs? Sure. More updates? Doubtful. If Microsoft dropped $2B on this property, the last thing they're going to do is continue to pay a development team to work on a game that has already been completed in their eyes. A re-write, on the other hand? Guaranteed. And it will be the first of many sequels, Halo-style. For Xbox One and the newest version of Windows.

As a former minecraft player, I am salivating at this. Believe it or not, Notch did a great job creating the game and doing a few updates, and then became totally incompetent (or maybe just disinterested) after that. Development has been at a standstill for years, despite many bugs and vast potential for improvement. I would love to see somebody do something great with this game and Mojang does not seem to have "the…

My 5 years old learned the meaning of the word "bugged" playing MineCraft. Everything that isn't perfect, from his night milk to the TV is "bugged". Ah! He doesn't speak English.

Re: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

#165

Post by freshyill »

jebblue wrote: post #156
freshyill wrote: post #112

My kid loves it, but I'm the one who has to deal with the mods and the shitty YouTube videos and ad-filled garbage forums made by a community that's somehow never heard of GitHub. Hopefully Microsoft can reign in all of that crap and make the game less of a nightmare to maintain.

People of all ages play and enjoy Minecraft including moi.

No doubt. I might even play it once in a while if I didn't resent it so much for being a complete shitshow to deal with outside of the game itself.

Re: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

#166

Post by shiftpgdn »

pbhjpbhj wrote: post #113
Guvante wrote: post #89

Earlier quoted context omitted.

It is important to remember that PV calculations are pretty easy to do, and help bring the FU money back to reality. For instance if Minecraft sells 10,000 copies a day (as someone else said) that is $100m a year. Assuming other platforms add up to the same that is $200m a year. At an 8% interest rate that is worth $2.5 billion assuming it continues forever. It is worth $1.3 billion if it only happens for 10 years.

... and in a month a new game comes out and minecrafters realise this is what minecraft should have been all along ...

A few dozen "this is what minecraft" should have been games have come out in the last few years. Nothing has the staying power of Minecraft.

Re: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

#167

Post by deciplex »

gear54rus wrote: post #158

All these comments saying it's a good thing™ that Microsoft will buy it make me a bit sick. Have you forgotten so easily? It's MICROSOFT. Here are some other users' comments that sum it up: - Sorry, you can't build any more wood blocks today! Would you like to buy an extra 10 wood blocks for 99 Mojang bucks? - You Died! (Respawn for $2.99?) Next thing you know they release sequel as an exclusive for their shitbox It'…

That's more EA's MO, to be honest. I don't see Microsoft going heavy with microtransactions. Microsoft is more about bone-headed, tone-deaf "synergies". They'll undermine the franchise trying to use it to promote other projects no one cares about (e.g. Kinect, for a start), and you can forget about PC being the primary platform for it going forward (or it will only be available on Windows Store). But, they won't charge you to place blocks.

I mean, Mojang stands out as one of the few independent studios (as opposed to indie) that * gasp* charges real money for software. Not F2P, not P2W, not whatever else. Microsoft would love to go back to those days.

(For the record, so would I.)

Re: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

#168

Post by hobarrera »

mindstab wrote: post #19

I don't get it. Mojang already made "all the money" from selling minecraft and are largely maintaining it now. I haven't heard if they even have any new games on the way? The space one was cancelled. What exactly is MS possibly getting that could be worth $2B?

They can make is windows-only, make a WindowsPhone port, etc. Try to lure even more people into their platform, and let the other die (which is pretty microsofty).

Re: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

#169

Post by robryan »

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…

It seems way overpriced for something Valve would be interested in.

Re: Microsoft Near Deal to Buy Minecraft Maker Mojang

#170

Post by jacquesm »

knodi wrote: post #134
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…

The thing is money is the best drug known to man. One you get big numbers you never want it to stop. You just keep fighting for bigger and bigger numbers.

That's a bug. Consider fixing it.
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