Mojang getting bought by Microsoft (title edited)


I'd say:

1) One should not sell the fur before the bear is shot, as we say in Sweden. In these days and times, I'd not be surprised if this leak of information was a "leak" in order to put pressure on the negotiations.

2) On the other hand, I'd not be surprised if it is true, either. Notch has always, since the beginning, been uncomfortable in the role of a business person, dealing with economy and strategy and stuff. This is rather well documented. Someone asked why he'd sell, when he has enough money as it is. To me, that question is backwards: When he has all the money he'll need, ever, why wouldn't he get rid of unnecessary business reponsibilities? I know I would.
 
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kasp said:
2 billion seems way to high of a price for it.
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http://www.allabolag.se/5568192388/bokslutIn 2011, Mojang made about 6 million USD profit.

Last year they made about 115 million USD profit. That's profit, pure value, after cover all expenses. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that their revenue is increasing, especially since the introduction of Minecraft Realms. Microsoft knows exactly what they're doing here and how much Minecraft (and let's be honest, they want Minecraft, they don't care about Mojang or anything else they may be working on) is worth.

Microsoft sees a golden goose, they paid 2 billion dollars for it, and they're going to plump it up in luxury and collect as many eggs as possible. They're talking more toys, spinoffs, movie deals. They're not in the habit of taking something profitable and then destroying it, they're quite capable of destroying their own creations. I fully suspect the PS4 and Vita versions will continue to be maintained so long as they remain profitable.

I don't fault Notch for selling. Obviously he'd had his fun and wanted out long ago. He deserves a rest as much as anyone. What bothers me is why Microsoft? Other companies more in line with what he expressed as his beliefs made offers in the past, why not one of them? It isn't the money, 3 years ago he was personally worth 30 million USD and that value can only have gone up year after year.

And this following on the heels of his backlash against the Oculus/Facebook debacle is very odd.

I don't like it, not because he's selling and not (technically) because it's to Microsoft; what I don't like is the specific situation of Notch selling to Microsoft. I just don't understand it, not after the way he's responded in the past. It doesn't make sense.
 
I think Moxie makes a lot of sense in the last two sentences of his post but at the same time I agree with just about WizardStan just posted.
 
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Moxie said:
2) On the other hand, I'd not be surprised if it is true, either. Notch has always, since the beginning, been uncomfortable in the role of a business person, dealing with economy and strategy and stuff. This is rather well documented. Someone asked why he'd sell, when he has enough money as it is. To me, that question is backwards: When he has all the money he'll need, ever, why wouldn't he get rid of unnecessary business reponsibilities? I know I would.
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Sure, but especially when you aren't in it for the money because you already have enough, then I would carefully choose a buyer I liked, even if that buyer can't pay as much as Microsoft.
 
T4b said:
Sure, but especially when you aren't in it for the money because you already have enough, then I would carefully choose a buyer I liked, even if that buyer can't pay as much as Microsoft.
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On the other hand, some recent Notch-y communications seems to indicate that somethings happen to really make him fed up with things. I have no problem imagining him going "F*ck this sh*t - I don't need to put up with this! Who's next in the 'buyers' line?"
 
T4b said:
Sure, but especially when you aren't in it for the money because you already have enough, then I would carefully choose a buyer I liked, even if that buyer can't pay as much as Microsoft.
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This is exactly why it doesn't make sense to me. He has money, he has time, he can afford to wait a few months or even a year while baiting the waters, waiting for the right company.Unless Notch isn't majority shareholder anymore and it's not his choice. I know he isn't sole shareholder anymore, he gave away parts of the company to employees as is custom of startups, I just don't know how much. Could be some of the new shareholders saw dollar signs and started negotiations, and are in a position to outvote him on the sale. Or at the very least they're badgering him enough about it that he's just given in and wants out asap, I could see that as well.
 
WizardStan said:
kasp said:
2 billion seems way to high of a price for it.
Click to expand...
http://www.allabolag.se/5568192388/bokslut
In 2011, Mojang made about 6 million USD profit.


Last year they made about 115 million USD profit. That's profit, pure value, after cover all expenses. It doesn't take a genius to figure out that their revenue is increasing, especially since the introduction of Minecraft Realms. Microsoft knows exactly what they're doing here and how much Minecraft (and let's be honest, they want Minecraft, they don't care about Mojang or anything else they may be working on) is worth.


Microsoft sees a golden goose, they paid 2 billion dollars for it, and they're going to plump it up in luxury and collect as many eggs as possible. They're talking more toys, spinoffs, movie deals. They're not in the habit of taking something profitable and then destroying it, they're quite capable of destroying their own creations. I fully suspect the PS4 and Vita versions will continue to be maintained so long as they remain profitable.


I don't fault Notch for selling. Obviously he'd had his fun and wanted out long ago. He deserves a rest as much as anyone. What bothers me is why Microsoft? Other companies more in line with what he expressed as his beliefs made offers in the past, why not one of them? It isn't the money, 3 years ago he was personally worth 30 million USD and that value can only have gone up year after year.


And this following on the heels of his backlash against the Oculus/Facebook debacle is very odd.


I don't like it, not because he's selling and not (technically) because it's to Microsoft; what I don't like is the specific situation of Notch selling to Microsoft. I just don't understand it, not after the way he's responded in the past. It doesn't make sense.
Click to expand...
I would really be interested in this years financials.  Sure last year they did 115 million but they had an explosion of interest just like the PS3 and Xbox launches.  Now that everyone owns the game I am sure their income stream will die down somewhat.  There are 54 million copies of minecraft out in the wild already.  Surely there is going to be a cap on the amount of sales especially since they are a one trick pony.
 
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I can imagine that Minecraft has reached it's peak after the release of PS3 and Xbox version and Mojang expects it to go downwards from now.

I wonder if Notch get's a lion share of the 2 billion or if this whole shareholder stuff interferes.

If he got enough to never having to work again (which gives you the freedom to work on what and whenever you choose), I could understand this move pretty well, but he probably had enough before anyway and then it would have been boss to say "f*** you MS, you won't get it for 2 billion, but I give it away to everybody else for free (open source)", which does not seem to be possible anymore with so many other people being involved now.
 
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Here's a more comprehensive answer by notch:

http://notch.net/2014/09/im-leaving-mojang/

And seriously, I can fully understand him.

I also don't like to be CEO - I'm doing it for the Pandora and Pyra because I have to, but I don't like all that legal mumbojumbo. It's no fun, and most of the time annoying.

If Pandora or Pyra got too big, I would probably lose the contact to the community as well. The more people there are in the community, the more posts there will be, the more there is to read or reply to, and if it's too much, you simply can't reply to all of that and lose the contact to the community.

He always participated with small games in small compos (see here http://notch.net/games/) for fun, always supported the early Indie Humble Bundles (when they were still true Indie bundles), so yeah, I totally believe him with what he writes in that post.
 
Then why not just walk away? Leave Mojang as it was. And to prove it donate the money to charities/good causes.

When someone's offering you $2bn your principles go out the window. I don't disbelieve him, but he could have sold out and/or moved on long ago if it was that big a problem for him, but nope. He/Mojang released MineCraft on pc, XBox, PS3, Vita, PS4 and XBone and Android/iOS (as well as merched it to the eyeballs) before making his decision. "I only wanted it small" doesn't wash, I'm afraid.
 
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He wasn't involved in any Minecraft stuff for months. He was just CEO of the company, as Mojang told him he should stay there because he is part of the culture, so he stayed in but tried to work on his own small projects.

And that is totally understandable - Minecraft grew around him, so if he left the company, the community would've gone mad.

It's similar to the Pandora and myself, I guess. Imagine I had a small team that handled the Pandora, don't you think there would be an uproar if I just left the company?

So he agreed to stay within the company to keep the community happy, as the guy behind Minecraft, even though he really wasn't anymore.

But when people personally attacked him because of some EULA crap he didn't even have anything to do with, he decided it's time to sell and part the company.

You don't know yet whether he will donate the money or not, but I've seen him donating money into the Indie dev scene regularly, so I wouldn't say he won't do that.

Of course, keeping enough to himself to have a good life, which is understandable as well.

Maybe I can understand him because I'm similar. I'm happy to work with a community, but if things go to big, with all the legal mumbojumbo stuff, I'd probably hide away and do my own stuff as good as possible as well.

But I wouldn't want to disappoint the community, so if others my company would say I need to stay because it's important for the community, I would do that...
 
Yeah, I don't blame him and I do understand his motives. But I don't believe everything he says either.

I know he's a very charitable guy, that he has given lots away (and can now afford to give more) but that still doesn't mean it wasn't about the money.

But, I wish him very well and can't wait to see what he'll come up with next :)

rygD said:
Are you leaving us, ED?
Click to expand...
If someone offered him $2bn I bet he would...
 
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