Microsoft's Minecraft buy said to have cost it $2.5 billion

Minecraft
Will Mojang bend the knee to corporate overlords?

Why would Microsoft want to buy Mojang? Now that's a silly question.

Minecraft is one of the most popular games of this day and age, and it has longevity too. No wonder the deal is reportedly already locked in, according to Reuters.

The Microsoft-Mojang buy was first rumored this week, and the site's source says that Microsoft has already agreed to purchase the independent swedish developer headed by Markus "Notch" Persson.

The final price tag? That would be $2.5 billion (about £1.53b, AU$2.76), said the source.

Announcement incoming

Microsoft and Mojang will reportedly announce their union on Monday.

Reports earlier in the week said that the deal was close to being inked, and that Microsoft could pay around $2 billion (about £1.2b, AU$2.2b). Maybe Microsoft had to up its offer to seal the deal?

After all there are a million reasons why Microsoft would want to buy Mojang, and Reuters says the company will use its newfound ownership of Minecraft to boost its Windows Phone handsets and Surface tablets.

But why would Mojang want to bow down to new corporate overlords when it's been raking in dough by the hundreds of millions as an independent company all these years? That much remains to be seen, but hopefully the studio offers some sort of explanation if this deal really is announced on Monday.

The scariest thought is what Microsoft owning Minecraft will do to the versions of the game that are already out on iOS, PS4 and other platforms.

Michael Rougeau

Michael Rougeau is a former freelance news writer for TechRadar. Studying at Goldsmiths, University of London, and Northeastern University, Michael has bylines at Kotaku, 1UP, G4, Complex Magazine, Digital Trends, GamesRadar, GameSpot, IFC, Animal New York, @Gamer, Inside the Magic, Comic Book Resources, Zap2It, TabTimes, GameZone, Cheat Code Central, Gameshark, Gameranx, The Industry, Debonair Mag, Kombo, and others.

Micheal also spent time as the Games Editor for Playboy.com, and was the managing editor at GameSpot before becoming an Animal Care Manager for Wags and Walks.