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[Sappho]

I'm a little confused about why people are worried. I already have the game. Many different versions of it, actually, through MultiMC. I don't even play the latest version, since all the mods I love are on 1.6.4 or 1.7.2. When Mojang has released new versions, most of the time they haven't been anything spectacularly new and different anyway, and they don't come out very often. This isn't an MMO where they can shut down the game world, here. It's largely a single-player game. I don't imagine they're going to shut down any multiplayer servers, since they're not going to want to lose customers. I think Microsoft has been around long enough to know better than to piss off the entire consumer base for a product. Even if they did something inexcusable to the multiplayer, there's always LAN play, and you can bet people will still find ways to run multiplayer servers for older versions even if MS tries to stop them, which I can't imagine they will, anyway. If they release new versions that are worse than the old ones, then... play the old ones? That's what I'm doing already. They might release DLC? Um... Don't buy it? That one was easy.

They're not going to break into our homes and take away our copies of the game. The only issue I might foresee is that future versions might have unexpected problems. Future versions might also be much better than we're used to getting. Let's be honest, here. Most of the best content for Minecraft comes from the modding community. Mojang made a great framework, but the vanilla game feels like playing with only that old big bucket of legos, all squares and rectangles. It's the mods that add all the fancy new pieces, the Technic sets, the themed sets, the spaceships and pirate ships and airships and so on.

I agree with Reelya: this sounds more like an investment than a takeover. They legally own the company now. That doesn't mean they're going to screw it up. They might not touch it at all. If they do, then just keep playing the versions we have now.

[TwilightWalker]

I'm a little confused about why people are worried. I already have the game. Many different versions of it, actually, through MultiMC. I don't even play the latest version, since all the mods I love are on 1.6.4 or 1.7.2. When Mojang has released new versions, most of the time they haven't been anything spectacularly new and different anyway, and they don't come out very often. This isn't an MMO where they can shut down the game world, here. It's largely a single-player game. I don't imagine they're going to shut down any multiplayer servers, since they're not going to want to lose customers. I think Microsoft has been around long enough to know better than to piss off the entire consumer base for a product. Even if they did something inexcusable to the multiplayer, there's always LAN play, and you can bet people will still find ways to run multiplayer servers for older versions even if MS tries to stop them, which I can't imagine they will, anyway. If they release new versions that are worse than the old ones, then... play the old ones? That's what I'm doing already. They might release DLC? Um... Don't buy it? That one was easy.

They're not going to break into our homes and take away our copies of the game. The only issue I might foresee is that future versions might have unexpected problems. Future versions might also be much better than we're used to getting. Let's be honest, here. Most of the best content for Minecraft comes from the modding community. Mojang made a great framework, but the vanilla game feels like playing with only that old big bucket of legos, all squares and rectangles. It's the mods that add all the fancy new pieces, the Technic sets, the themed sets, the spaceships and pirate ships and airships and so on.

I agree with Reelya: this sounds more like an investment than a takeover. They legally own the company now. That doesn't mean they're going to screw it up. They might not touch it at all. If they do, then just keep playing the versions we have now.

Not sure what else I can say, other than to fully agree with this opinion. The internet, jeez, what a bunch of paranoid wierdos. 

[scrdest]

I agree with Reelya: this sounds more like an investment than a takeover. They legally own the company now. That doesn't mean they're going to screw it up. They might not touch it at all. If they do, then just keep playing the versions we have now.

Yes, but on the other hand, a bunch of Mojang's devs already left AFAIK, so it can't not have any effect whatsoever.

[MarcAFK]

Although the game does require logging onto their authentication server before it will load, so they could shut the game down for multiplayer. Any mods that spoof the Authentication server would be illegal.

[Putnam]

I agree with Reelya: this sounds more like an investment than a takeover. They legally own the company now. That doesn't mean they're going to screw it up. They might not touch it at all. If they do, then just keep playing the versions we have now.

Yes, but on the other hand, a bunch of Mojang's devs already left AFAIK, so it can't not have any effect whatsoever.

IIRC just Notch, Manneh, and, uh... forgot his name, heh. The 3 founders, that is. The Minecraft devs are still around AFAIK.

[Sappho]

Although the game does require logging onto their authentication server before it will load, so they could shut the game down for multiplayer. Any mods that spoof the Authentication server would be illegal.

There are already pirated versions and illegal hacks to get around multiplayer authentication. Really, I don't see what there is to worry about. Why would they shut down multiplayer? I'm really, really not worried about it.

This feels like when a new president of the USA gets elected and half of America goes IT'S THE END OF DAYS! THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE AWAY ALL OUR FREEDOMS!

[Orange Wizard]

I remember reading that a bunch of Mojang employees left after the sale. No idea if they were devs, though.
Jeb's still lead developer, and the stuff he's added has been pretty good so far.

My main concern about the Microsoft acquisition is some kind DRM, but I don't think they'll be that dickish. I hope.

[The Darkling Wolf]

The only person I read about leaving was Notch, and that was kind of, y'know, the reason he sold the company in the first place.

E:Yeah, it's just the founders apparently, and the reason they sold Mojang in the first place was because they wanted to go and work on other things apparently.

[miauw62]

Something has changed though. Previously, i might consider shelling out for a copy of MineCraft (I don't play it at the moment, in fact I don't really seem to have time to play anything right now), supporting independent developers and all that. But just the knowledge that the money is going to MicroSoft might make me think twice.

As for people asking how Microsoft will manage to wring $2.5 billion out of Mojang: they don't really have to, because that's not how investments work. They had all this cash lying around doing very little, they've exchanged it for something of value that creates a revenue stream. Plus, that thing (shares) maintains value in and of itself.

Realistically, they'd expect a 5-10% per-year return on that money, and that can come from both sales revenue, outsourcing work from Microsoft to Mojang (they can shift game dev stuff from in house to Mojang making it more efficient) and increases in the share value of the thing they bought.

Plus, if the value of shares actually falls they can then declare a loss for tax purposes. So they might even make a windows phone minecraft and make that shit a FREEBIE that comes with Windows Phone. Looking at the long game, boosting Windows Phone with popular free apps would be worth taking a loss on Mojang, which could just be written off on taxes anyway.

You still consider Notch an "independant developer" after he made several million?
Youre not helping the indie devs struggling to get their game put there by buying a famous game, whether the owner is Mojang or MS

[BigD145]

Although the game does require logging onto their authentication server before it will load, so they could shut the game down for multiplayer. Any mods that spoof the Authentication server would be illegal.

There are already pirated versions and illegal hacks to get around multiplayer authentication. Really, I don't see what there is to worry about. Why would they shut down multiplayer? I'm really, really not worried about it.

This feels like when a new president of the USA gets elected and half of America goes IT'S THE END OF DAYS! THEY'RE GOING TO TAKE AWAY ALL OUR FREEDOMS!

 Mods in general aren't legal when they rely on Forge as it alters the main jar, including removing files within. Mojang just ignored it because mods have been selling copies. Microsoft cannot ignore it. Their stance on pirating has been clear for decades. But I guess everything is okay for Sappho because you can just do something illegal.

(The Patriot Act did remove freedoms. We got no-fly lists and 1st Amendment zones {used most recently in Fergusen}. You just haven't personally felt it.)

[Aklyon]

Microsoft's stance on piracy is irrelevant. if they ban the mods, their investment goes from smart idea to waste of money in one move, because I doubt the console and mobile versions are that useful on their own. They either have to make/finish the long-mentioned 'mod api' or continue to hold mojang's stance on the mods.

[aristabulus]

Aklyon is quite correct... Microsoft just spent a whole lotta dosh to get Minecraft.  Strangling the mod scene would only confirm what the Chicken Littles have been squawking since the WSJ rumour 10 days ago.  Nadella is way smarter than that; do not mistake him for Ballmer.

One thing I wouldn't mind seeing Microsoft use their 800 lbs. to accomplish is centralizing mod distribution to stop all the adfly bullshit.  The mercenary attitude of many Minecraft modders is disgraceful.  Modding is supposed to be a labour of love; if you want to make money off of it, go make your own damn game. 

...
Actually, one thing I'm hoping is they put more (good) devs onto this with Jeb's guidance, since Jeb'll probably keep it on track.

Yeah, I was thinking along those lines also... Jeb should end up with a whole bunch more people to noodle code for him.  *crosses fingers for sweeping optimizations*

-----

As a general note, please do not conflate politics into this discussion.  Microsoft is by no means an innocent actor in their realm, but riot and tyranny parallels are a serious stretch.  Let's leave the serious stretching to yoga masters and taffy factories.  ^___^

[Sappho]

Yeah, I like the idea of Jeb heading things up as well. I haven't followed all the news over the years, but from what I've seen, Notch did a lot of saying "no" to requested features (seemingly wanting to keep the feeling of personal ownership over his game, which was fair enough as long as he was in charge), while Jeb did a lot of working to implement those features. The idea of having a small team working on a game is a nice one, and they did a lot that way, but it's also very limiting. Will be interesting to see what they can do with more support from such a large company. Sweeping optimizations sound so good that I don't dare hope for them, but man oh man would that be nice.

[BigD145]

One thing I wouldn't mind seeing Microsoft use their 800 lbs. to accomplish is centralizing mod distribution to stop all the adfly bullshit.  The mercenary attitude of many Minecraft modders is disgraceful.  Modding is supposed to be a labour of love; if you want to make money off of it, go make your own damn game. 

There are a metric fuckton of Minecraft clones out there on every platform. Really, really, direct Minecraft clones. Microsoft/Xbox has shot themselves in the foot at some level because of the sheer amount of crap games/clones that hit the XBLA indie market back on 360 and now Microsoft just trickles out dev kits for Xbone. But Microsoft also saved some face doing that. There's less crap on the marketplace, at the expense of less games in general. Lots of devs want in on the xbone but can't, so they go back to Sony and Apple and Google where it's easier to get the tools to make a game. It'll be interesting to see what MS does, but I'm not holding my breath and I'm not shelling out cash to see it.

[Drakale]

Somehow I think that if Microsoft wanted to create a better game they would have invested that gigantic amount of money in a superior clone. It's not like the minecraft players would shun a better game of this style if there was one available. So my thinking is that we will see shitty portable 'minecraft' games, minecraft dlc's, minecraft ultimate edition, minecraft super HD edition exclusive to the xbox and stuff like that for a long, long time without any significant improvement.