Microsoft To Announce $2.5B Minecraft Acquisition Monday, A Surprising Mobile Play

The rumors keep on flying as an unnamed source “briefed on the matter” told Reuters that Microsoft is not only looking to acquire Minecraft developer Mojang, but buy it for the hefty sum of $2.5 billion. That’s $500 million more than was previously rumored last week. The same source went on to say that an announcement could be made this Monday.

At last count, the popular voxel-based, sandbox game has sold over 54 million units total. The game is available on Xbox 360, Xbox One, PlayStatin 3, PlayStation 4, iOS, Andoid, and PC platforms. However, the game is not available on Nintendo platforms or Microsoft’s Windows Phone or Surface tablet.

Speculation is that Microsoft could be purchasing Mojang to help boost its mobile market. It could be a smart move considering that 40 percent of Minecraft’s downloads have been on smartphones and tablets. These are markets where, according to research firm IDC, the Windows Phone only accounts for 2.5 percent of the smartphone market and the Surface tablet barely above that.

In addition to the strong Minecraft brand, Mojang also has two other games in development. Scrolls is a trading card game being developed by Mojang while Cobalt is an action game being developed in collaboration with Oxeye Game Studio. Both titles could be a perfect fit for smartphone and tablet devices.