Microsoft buys Minecraft maker Mojang for $2.5B

Microsoft today announced that it has acquired Mojang, the company behind Minecraft, after weeks of rumors.

Microsoft says it paid $2.5 billion for the gaming company — a figure that falls in line with earlier estimates. With this deal, the founders of Mojang will depart the company, according to an announcement from Stockholm-based Mojang.

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This means that as part of the sale, Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson is leaving Mojang.

Minecraft is one of the biggest games in the industry, with players on consoles, PC, and mobile platforms.

Microsoft details that Mojang employees will join the Microsoft Studios division following the deal. Microsoft attempted to smooth the deal over with players in an official press release, claiming that “Microsoft’s investments in cloud and mobile technologies will enable ‘Minecraft’ players to benefit from richer and faster worlds, more powerful development tools, and more opportunities to connect across the ‘Minecraft’ community.”

Microsoft calls Minecraft “one of the most popular video games in history, with more than 100 million downloads, on PC alone, by players since its launch in 2009.”