Is Minecraft going Microsoft exclusive? Rumors claim Mojang to be purchased by MS

Microsoft is rumored to be offering 2.5 Instagrams ($2.5 billion) to purchase Mojang, the developers of Minecaft. One would think they must have grand designs for one of the greatest selling games of all time. But what does the tech giant have up its sleeve…or in its pocket?

We know that Microsoft has been trying to lure developers to its struggling Windows Phone platform for some time. To the surprise of absolutely no-one, the opportunity to target your apps or games to its 3% mobile marketshare hasn’t yet got some large developers to port their products. If the promise of a Windows “developer device”, along with a free copy of Windows and a voucher for up to $100 in the Unity Asset Store wasn’t enough to turn the tides, the tech giant may never catch Apple or Google in the mobile arms race.

While some are already speculating what the acquisition could mean for people who purchased Minecraft on the Playstation Network, the far more interesting question is just what this would mean for the Microsoft ecosystem.

(See: Mobfish Hunter developer Appxplore gets acquired by Fatfish Internet Group)

If extrapolations from advertising copy and reported internal documents are to be believed, the Windows Phone brand name could be gone sooner than we think.

Project “Threshold” is the codename given to Microsoft’s plans to more closely integrate its mobile, desktop, and gaming platforms. Ideas of a “seamless” experience with “One” Windows have already been put forth, complete with a unified store. The project, like Cortana, Microsoft’s answer to Siri, derives its name from the Halo series, but has Microsoft decided that it must turn to Minecraft to make its future vision a reality?

With no clear cut direction, it still feels that this could be a case of a company with three times the cash of the United States government just buying up a cultural icon to display on its mantle, the same way those with more money than sense might overpay for paintings.

What do you think the potential Mojang acquisition could mean for Microsoft, or even gaming in general?

The last blockbuster gaming purchase:

(Image sources: 1, 2)