Microsoft is reportedly in talks to purchase the popular video game Minecraft for more than $2 billion, a move that would help the tech giant put its own software on more mobile devices.
The world's biggest maker of software, Microsoft is negotiating to acquire Mojang AB, which makes Minecraft, sources familiar with the matter told Bloomberg News.
The companies are expected to close the deal by sometime next week. The acquisition will mark Microsoft's biggest move since Satya Nadella became CEO in February.
Nadella has since been pushing to get Microsoft software on more mobile devices, including those produced by the competition.
"We want to build products that people love to use," Nadella told analysts in April. "As a result, you'll see us increasingly focus on usage as the leading indicator of long-term success."
Minecraft is a popular title that runs on Microsoft's Xbox as well as Apple's iPad, Sony's PlayStation and phones that use Google's Android operating system.
"If there was any thought of Nadella wavering on Xbox, you can throw that out the window," said Daniel Ives, an analyst at FBR Capital Markets & Co, as quoted by Bloomberg News. "There is also a broader view on how it fits with his strategy as part of cloud and mobile."
Despite the pros of acquiring Minecraft, Microsoft is also taking a risk. Since the game is hugely popular around the world, Microsoft may be purchasing Minecraft at its high point.
The hope is that Minecraft's popularity will continue to fuel interest in the Xbox, which has seen lagging sales compared with rival PlayStation 4.
"It's one of the greatest success stories in gaming over the last 10 years," said Doug Creutz, an analyst at Cowen & Co. in New York, referring to Mojang. "They've sold a lot of copies of Minecraft over the Xbox."
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