Minecraft, the wildly popular block-building construction game that claims more than 100 million players, is expected to be purchased for $2.5 billion by Microsoft on Monday, according to a report from Reuters. The report also notes that Minecraft will be used by Microsoft to super-charge its struggling Windows Phone franchise, which holds just 2.5 percent of the worldwide smarthphone market.
Created by Swedish developer Markus Persson, Minecraft is the top grossing app on iOS and Android. Last year, Persson said Microsoft’s market share in mobile was so insignificant that it didn’t warrant his company’s time.
The Wall Street Journal reported on Tuesday that Microsoft was in serious talks to acquire Minecraft maker Mojang AB for more than $2 billion, making it one of the company’s largest gaming acquisitions.
