If you’re reading this article, you’re most likely a fan of Minecraft or know someone who is, and are curious about why Microsoft bought the very popular game.
If so, you have stumbled across the right article as this one goes on to explain 9 reasons why Microsoft would buy Minecraft, so keep reading!
Why Did Microsoft Buy Minecraft?
1. Minecraft Is Very Popular
When games are considered to be classics, they don’t seem to ever really die out. Fans of the game continue to flock towards it, regardless of updates, upgrades, or changes.
At least this is true for a game like Minecraft. This game, which is known as a classic has been around since 2009 and has since been thriving in different places all around the world.
According to Playercounter, between 2.8 million and 3.6 million people have played Minecraft across their devices.
As well, the game is ranked at number 9 on Twitch as the most viewed game. In fact, about 122,000 people watched Minecraft gameplay via Twitch as of 2024.
The game has managed to rack up such good numbers, despite its simplicity.
2. Microsoft Needs Younger Users
Microsoft has many adult users but is lacking when it comes to the younger demographic, which is another big reason why Microsoft purchased Minecraft.
3. Minecraft Is Available on All of Your Devices
There are many different devices that Minecraft can be played on aside from PC.
The game is widely available for consoles such as the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PlayStation 5.
As well, the pocket edition is widely popular on mobile devices, allowing users to download their games so that they can play when they’re away from home.
According to a study performed by Gamestat, up to 68% of Minecraft players use the PlayStation 4 as their choice in console.
Meanwhile, a mere 28% of players use the PlayStation 3, and only about 4% use vita to play the game.
In August 2020, Xbox One reported a total of 5.43 million copies of Minecraft were sold for the console worldwide.
Not to mention that the game also has over 10 million downloads on different devices through the Google Play App store.
4. Minecraft Makes a Fair Amount of Money
As mentioned previously, Minecraft is undoubtedly one of the most popular games that are available on the market today.
It’s beloved by many, which in turn brings up a profit, as those who love the game will most likely be happy to spend money on anything to do with it.
5. Schools Love Minecraft
Seeing that many teachers love Minecraft, as it’s a game that helps with the development of your brain rather than a game that just allows you to blow things up.
Owning the game will allow for Microsoft to be included more in classrooms, and clearly, Microsoft does its very best to slip its way into any occasion in any way that it can.
6. Parents Love Minecraft
As mentioned above, Minecraft is loved by many teachers, but that’s not where it stops. Many parents are also quite fond of the game.
The reason being is that Minecraft is more about building and creating, unlike most other popular games that are available on the market today.
If these parents’ kids are going to spend all day playing a game, they undoubtedly would rather them be playing Minecraft over other games that may not be as creative.
Another thing that parents like about the game is that there are multiple settings that you can choose in order to make the kid’s server safe.
This means that they can control who their kids interact with while they play the game, and the more Minecraft is played, the more Microsoft benefits.
7. Microsoft Doesn’t Need to Earn a Profit From Minecraft to Gain Success
As mentioned previously, Minecraft makes a fair amount of profit out of its game, despite its age.
Although this may be the case, Microsoft actually doesn’t need to make a profit off Minecraft, which is another solid reason why they purchased it.
Indeed, the company purchased the game, not for its profits, but rather for its user base.
8. Microsoft Has a Seemingly Endless Amount of Money to Spend
As you can probably tell, there really is no spending limit when it comes to the Microsoft company.
So, buying a popular game for a mere 2.5 billion dollars can seem like pocket change to such a large company. Overall, with more chance or reward, there really is no risk to purchasing an asset such as Minecraft.
9. There Doesn’t Seem to Be an End Coming for Minecraft Anytime Soon
With Minecraft maintaining its popularity, there seems to be no end in sight, which makes it a great investment for Microsoft.
The reason being is that if Microsoft was to purchase a game that was less popular than Minecraft, there wouldn’t be as big of a payoff in the end.
To know more, you can also read our posts on why Microsoft bought LinkedIn, why Microsoft bought Activision, and why Microsoft bought Nokia.
Conclusion
There are countless reasons why a company such as Microsoft would be considering purchasing Minecraft in 2024. One of these reasons is that Minecraft brings a variety of different users to Microsoft even including younger people.