14 DAY TRIAL // A few analysts have chimed in concerning the recent deal announced by Microsoft and Mojang, through which the large corporation now owns the independent studio and its hit franchise, Minecraft, praising Microsoft for its strategy and confirming that the series can keep on going for years to come.
Minecraft is one of the biggest games of recent years, despite starting off as a one-man alpha project from Markus "Notch" Persson. The title quickly went on to reach other platforms besides the PC and delivered stellar experiences by reaching tens of millions of users from around the world.
While it was looking like Persson, together with his newly-formed Mojang team, was quite successful and enjoyed the popularity of the huge experience, Microsoft confirmed yesterday that it had acquired Mojang as a whole and the rights to the Minecraft series for a whopping 2.5 billion USD (1.9 billion EUR).
The deal quickly saw statements from Microsoft and Mojang, as well as from Persson, who motivated it due to his own personal reasons, as he didn't want the responsibility of shepherding and representing the game in front of its millions of users.
Microsoft made a great move, analysts believe
Now, various video game industry analysts have stepped forward to share their thoughts about the acquisition, praising Microsoft and emphasizing that, while Minecraft isn't growing by leaps and bounds like it did in previous years, it still has a bright future.
"At first glance, the acquisition makes strategic sense for Microsoft in terms of strengthening the games platform, but also extending the company more into the realms of cloud and mobile," Baird analyst Colin Sebastian tells GamesIndustry. "Clearly, Minecraft is not at the steepest point of its growth trajectory, but as an online service there is the potential for Minecraft to be successful for years to come."
Microsoft is going to cross-promote Minecraft with other franchises
Another analyst, this time Wedbush Security's Michael Pachter, believes Microsoft is going to kick the cross-promotion into overdrive, as the company is eager to promote its other franchises to Minecraft's already huge demographic.
"It gives them an entry into mid core, can differentiate their devices, and can generate revenue for 10 years," Pachter says. "I think you will see Master Chief and Gears characters in future versions of Minecraft. It gives them another strong franchise with a desirable installed base of young people."
Minecraft has already received DLC packs on the Xbox 360 and Xbox One based on Halo and other Microsoft franchises, but you can expect more imaginative ways to promote them in the future.