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$ 2.5 billion for Minecraft – life interest of Microsoft, or perhaps burning money in the oven? Redmond giant has the largest transactions in the industry since the acquisition of Activision by Vivendi. Is this the case also proves look no further
About this event will speak up for a long time, especially in the context of whether the issue of $ 2.5 billion, in fact, one game is a great investment, or maybe a big mistake Microsoft . This of course will be in a few years, but now we can think about what this giant from Redmond can do with the studio Mojang . According to the first information Markus Persson , creator Minecraft , a proposal to repurchase its shares in the company made a few months ago. Microsoft had so much time to thoroughly think through this project and determine what you can do with this phenomenon. And there is quite a lot.
Contrary to appearances, the biggest beneficiary of the entire transaction may not be Microsoft Studios, a company dedicated to the section tablets and smartphones. Business this years brings a lot of money to Samsung and Apple, and Microsoft, despite enormous investments (over $ 7 billion for the department of cell phones Nokia) still lags far behind the competition. It is on devices with iOS and Android extraordinary popular is Minecraft Pocket Edition (21 million downloads to May of this year). Availability of games on devices with Windows Phone certainly will significantly increase their sales. At best, it will be one of the most important moments for this platform. This brand like Minecraft attracts tens of millions of people. The investment will pay off not only the sale of the game, but expenditure on other applications customers who just due to the production studio Mojang decided to buy a new Nokia with Windows Phone on board, or tablet Surface . So if I were to bet on who is the first to benefit from the latest investment Microsoft would point to these two devices.
Similar sentence represent the American media dealing with finances, among other things, the agency Bloomberg. If I had to imagine how they looked last moments before the conclusion of the contract, surely I would see five people – Markus Persson, Carl Manneh and Jakob Porsera, the founders of the studio Mojang, and Phil Spencer and Satya Nadella of Microsoft. After the guys finish last point of contract negotiations, and then sign it, get up and thank yourself for making the transaction. I am convinced that before we all shake hands they shake, somewhere in the world a group of developers in full swing starts porting Minecraft not just on Windows Phone, but Windows 8 Both systems were previously omitted by Mojang (according to Microsoft’s smartphone market Persson is too small, while said the operating system was heavily criticized by him) and no doubt it will quickly be made up. Do not be surprised also if the game lands on Steam. Today, the Redmond giant may depend primarily on reaching the widest possible audience. The game has long been a multiplatform, so it makes no sense to force it to do with respect to exclusivity.
Purchase Mojang studio is not only a “position of hands” on the sale of Minecraft, but overlooked by many licensed products. Already, sales of toys and gadgets is a huge business, and no doubt Microsoft would want to even enlarge it. According to the first information on the market is to appear not only a lot of new toys, but also movies. Although recently closed was Xbox Entertainment Studios , but it certainly will not prevent the giant from Redmond in preparation, alone or in cooperation with a major label, various animations, whether the series or feature film. Minecraft is a brand today as great as Angry Birds. Microsoft bought not only the studio with a very popular game, but a huge brand that has long been firmly beyond the world of electronic entertainment. This largely explains such a great price and gives meaning to the whole transaction. In addition to the production of Rovio is not in the game world, which has such a strong position in popular culture. Interestingly, both brands were created not in the United States or Western Europe, and Scandinavia. It just shows how much strength in the industry is that part of the Old Continent.
And what about the continuation of Minecraft? This no doubt created (rather sooner than later) and in this case will be even harder to drive sales of Microsoft’s hardware. I doubt, however, exclusively for Xbox One. I think that the Redmond giant will prepare a version not only on its newest console, but the resulting Windows 9 (possibly also Windows 8) and Windows Phone. The game probably will allow you to store created worlds in the cloud and move them between devices. If the gameplay will be at an appropriate level, and support for leading channels on YouTube and Twitch will encourage the creation of thousands of videos, Microsoft can not wait to hit that pulls sale of nearly all of its products. Then I spent a couple of days ago, $ 2.5 billion will cease to impress. The game itself will earn a fortune, and additionally entail the demand for equipment, which in turn will translate into the number of downloads of games and applications. Then the circle starts to propel itself and the products Microsoft will be able to break even popular Apple device.
This may be too optimistic scenario for the giant from Redmond, but certainly plausible. The success of Minecraft is a textbook example of a well-known over the years the effect of sheep behavior – in short, consumers buy the product mainly because it is very popular, which is driving the demand enormously. Many marketers probably would say that this is indeed the Holy Grail of marketing. Microsoft has not found a way to his calling, he just bought it and now wants to postpone the effect on their other products. It will not be easy, but if you succeed, the CEO of the corporation, Satya Nadella, will be able to enjoy the same fame as Bill Gates.
I do not have to wait long for the Internet emerged comments of players who think that $ 2.5 billion could be spent on a whole lot of great games. That’s right, Microsoft surely would have found a thousand ways to prepare for the money productions exclusively for Xbox One, or Windows Phone. In this case, however, is not the point. Just a few days ago, the jewel in the crown was Microsoft’s Halo. Despite many years of development series, some great games, today the brand is far behind Minecraft. Windows Phone appeared one title in the series – Halo Spartan Assault (later also hit on the Xbox One, PC and Xbox 360). Is led to sales of mobile or tablet? Important in this case is, of course, the scale and quality of the game, but does not change the fact that Minecraft is, however, different league.
Microsoft has offered a lot of great exclusive games, such as those Hello Gears of War Forza Quantum Break , or Fable . Given the even line-up of Xbox One at the end of this year, definitely not to be ashamed of. Quite the contrary. However, if you have so much money that the Redmond giant (more than $ 70 billion of reserves), there is no point in wasting the opportunity to acquire such a great phenomenon that is Minecraft. Microsoft could buy a lot of other studies, or brands, but these investments certainly would not have the same importance for the entire company, not just the Xbox division, as just gaining Mojang team. The entire transaction, to sum it up in one sentence, she had to buy a new game exclusive, and gain ownership of the phenomenon on the highest scale. Is to someone like it or not, whether understood the fascination Minecraft or not, these are the facts.
For comparison, EA PopCap in 2011, paid $ 1.3 billion, the duo Pandemic-Bioware cost 860 million dollars, and Playfish $ 400 million (a total of more than $ 2.5 billion, and the effect of very satisfactory). Today, the value of the entire group of CD Projekt is about 500-600 million and $ 2 billion turned out to be a small sum to take over Take Two (tried EA). Comparing it to buy Microsoft, especially considering the potential for Minecraft 2.5 billion dollars seems to have slightly less shocking sum. If everything goes according to plan, the investment may begin to be profitable sooner than we think, and it will allow you to make money, at which two and a half billion does not make much of an impression. As I mentioned earlier, the acquisition of any other study offers such a potential (maybe with the exception of Rovio, possibly Wargaming whether Rockstar Games). Various studies of Internet traffic that Minecraft is one of the most popular passwords in the rankings that are higher than many well-known brands for years not necessarily related. Such things must therefore cost billions, but most importantly, are worth it. What is also important to maintain the studio Mojang will be relatively cheap. Currently, it employs about 40 people there and even though it probably will change quickly, it is one of the smaller teams owned by Microsoft Studios.
the likes of giants like Microsoft to make such expensive acquisitions for the reason that their absence may expose the company to even greater losses. As mentioned earlier, the Redmond giant has well over 70 billion dollars of reserves, which include profits from many years of business. Such money is a tempting target for investors. They are not only in the language of law, individuals (like Bill Gates, Paul Allen, and Steve Ballmer), but also various types of institutions, such as investment funds. These often exert enormous pressure on the board of directors to used the reserves, of course, paying their portion in the form of dividends to shareholders. With similar pressures regularly must fight not only Microsoft, but Apple (over $ 100 billion of reserves). Release large amounts of money for the acquisition of another company, especially if it is financially justified, the company is a much better option than paying dividends.
Although not everyone understands the studio Mojang acquisition by Microsoft gives the company great opportunities, which so far was not even with popular brands like Halo or Gears of War. The first decisions also show that the giant from Redmond depends not only on gaining a new title exclusive, and much more. No wonder that it becomes uncertain fate karcianki Scrolls . When Microsoft is fighting for the biggest fish in the water, you will not worry about the rumor. So if you look at the whole issue more broadly, can be seen in the activities of the corporation that is a lot of sense. Perhaps after years of rule Steve Ballmer and many hellishly expensive and equally unsuccessful investments, we finally managed to hit the mother lode.
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