So earlier today Microsoft officially announced that they would be acquiring Mojang for an eye-watering $2.5 billion. Along with the acquisition, Microsoft would be gaining access to Mojang’s games as well, such as the incredibly popular Minecraft. Given Minecraft’s wide availability across multiple platforms, it would help Microsoft make a lot of money, but is that all there is to it?
Well apparently not. According to the folks at GeekWire, Microsoft’s reasons for purchasing Mojang and subsequently Minecraft is to help kids learn more about science and technology. According to Microsoft’s CEO Satya Nadella, “If you talk about STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics) education, the best way to introduce anyone to STEM or get their curiosity going on, it’s Minecraft”
“So I think what this open-world phenomenon will mean to the community at large, for people who builders, is pretty big, and we are very excited about the acquisition, obviously.” In some way it actually makes sense as Minecraft is not your typical video game. We’ve seen many gamers take advantage of the game’s building tools to come up with all sorts of interesting creations.
This ranges from recreations of fictional buildings/universes, to the building of a functional hard drive! Nadella also shared a humorous anecdote where he woke up this morning and was asked by his 10-year old daughter if he knew that Microsoft would be buying Mojang.