[AndyNakamura]

Discuss.

[Dangersaurus]

2.5 billion for a game that has sold around 50 million copies.  The marketing side of Minecraft must be some kind of golden goose, because I heard MS would have to sell something like 3 times as many copies of the game at current pricing just to break even. For perspective: Disney bought Star Wars for just $4 Billion.

Sounds like the Minecraft folks got a pretty sweet deal. Here's hoping they pass some of that on like Lucas.

[PeterSmith]

Microsoft feels they can recoup the investment by the close of the next fiscal year. My guess? They wanted the tech.

[AndyNakamura]

So they are planning to make at least $100 off of each user.

$10 monthly subscription, here we come.

[Killstring]

Minecraft is gaming to a lot of young kids.

Microsoft bought the reins to a generation of gamers. We'll see if it was worth it.

[Sendaz]

So they are planning to make at least $100 off of each user.

$10 monthly subscription, here we come.

skip subscriptions, microstores is where the money is at.   Players will spend far more on specials, even just cosmetic changes, than what subscriptions collect.

Not sure what they could sell, since you build pretty much everything yourself, but am sure they could come up with something.  Like special recipes to unlock to be able to make certain items or special materials to make things with.

Or just cosmetics changes, people love customizing their looks.

[Namikaze]

Hats.  Microsoft can take a page from Valve and just sell hats.

[AndyNakamura]

So they are planning to make at least $100 off of each user.

$10 monthly subscription, here we come.

skip subscriptions, microstores is where the money is at.   Players will spend far more on specials, even just cosmetic changes, than what subscriptions collect.

Not sure what they could sell, since you build pretty much everything yourself, but am sure they could come up with something.  Like special recipes to unlock to be able to make certain items or special materials to make things with.

Or just cosmetics changes, people love customizing their looks.

Problem is that MC is very big on modding. And MS would need to disable that in order to be able to sell premium content. Otherwise, that content would be modded right in.

And selling premium blocks / recipes in a game whose biggest selling point is freedom of crafting, that's just going to ruin it in a very MS way.

Also, expect server prices to go way up, and no more free self-hosted ones.

[Dangersaurus]

I'm still thinking the merchandise is the biggest deal, and something tonight really brought it home. My wife & daughter are doing the book orders for my oldest's 4th grade class and there are almost a dozen Minecraft books in there. Multiply that by all the fourth grade classes across the US...

[AndyNakamura]

Danger, that's a good point. Haven't considered that. At this point, just the brand name alone would be worth the major chunk of the USD 2.5 bil., if not all of it.

[Killstring]

I'm still thinking the merchandise is the biggest deal, and something tonight really brought it home. My wife & daughter are doing the book orders for my oldest's 4th grade class and there are almost a dozen Minecraft books in there. Multiply that by all the fourth grade classes across the US...

Pretty much.

[Anarkitty]

I'm still thinking the merchandise is the biggest deal, and something tonight really brought it home. My wife & daughter are doing the book orders for my oldest's 4th grade class and there are almost a dozen Minecraft books in there. Multiply that by all the fourth grade classes across the US...

Merch, spin-offs, sequels, tie-ins, movies, maybe even a TV series.  They could make Minecraft completely free and still make back their investment.

[Imveros]

For perspective: Disney bought Star Wars for just $4 Billion.

Disney bought Skywalker Sound and Industrial Light and Magic for 4 billion. They got star wars for free for calling within 60 minute and paying separate shipping and handling.

Tell tale is doing a mine craft story game. My guess is they will make all their $ back by developing a story, and then pushing spin off games, books, movies, TV shows, merch, ect. I also like what Killstring said

 

Microsoft bought the reins to a generation of gamers. We'll see if it was worth it.

[Emperors Grace]

FYI - LEGO licensed it and there is a line of Minecraft LEGO for 2015.

I'd agree with the recovery being in the IP and merchandising. 

Every elementary school kid I know plays that and owns/wants the figures, books, masks, statuettes, etc... etc...

[Tarislar]

Reading this thread just made me remember why I'm glad I have no children