Minecraft’s creator Marcus Persson has revealed why he agreed to sell game developer Mojang and their hit game Minecraft for $2.5 billion to Microsoft. In an interview to Forbes, he said one of the main reasons was the instant reaction of game companies to a half-joking tweet in his account on June 16: “Anyone want to buy my share of Mojang so I can move on with my life?”
Persson used to say that selling Mojang was impossible and was critical of studios that gave up their independence. However, this time the suggestion seemed like an opportunity to separate from the brand, which had over time become a liability to him. Although Persson stepped down from the development team of Minecraft in 2011, he was still the face of the game.
According to Forbes, Microsoft was interested in the deal as it let the company spend some of its vast capital earned overseas which otherwise would be subject to taxation in the US. Apart from Microsoft, interest in buying Mojang was expressed by Activision, Blizzard and Electronic Arts amongst others. Microsoft concluded the deal on November 9, 2014.
