Microsoft said to be buying the maker of 'Minecraft' for $2 billion

[scottish]

I don't see why they wouldn't, they get what 180mil a year (prev year) in revenue, and that'll be dying down as Minecraft itself is dying down in popularity.

The major sales for this year will come from xbone and PS4. After that I can't see them earning too much revenue unless their future games are as successful.

[DPS]

He's already turned money like that before. This time might be different though, seeing as Notch and the whole Mojang gang are keeping quiet at this moment in time about this.

yeah i guess, but i think its the right time for him to sell now.

[xxMATTGxx]

I don't see why they wouldn't, they get what 180mil a year (prev year) in revenue, and that'll be dying down as Minecraft itself is dying down in popularity.

The major sales for this year will come from xbone and PS4. After that I can't see them earning too much revenue unless their future games are as successful.

It's more about them selling it to Microsoft due to what has been said in the past. But they aren't in the best shape at the moment with the whole bukkit licensing argument. So it might be best to sell. Who knows!

[Richie]

I'd take it, Minecraft has already hit its lifetime peak imo, take that 2b notch and stick it on black 4b ez !

[scottish]

Is it 2b cash deal or part cash part stocks?

Probably speak to the people in the company and share it out if they do accept it, as they're whats built the company really.

I doubt bukkit will have any effect on them tbh.

[xxMATTGxx]

Is it 2b cash deal or part cash part stocks?

Probably speak to the people in the company and share it out if they do accept it, as they're whats built the company really.

I doubt bukkit will have any effect on them tbh.

Bukkt is pretty much dead at this stage anyway.

[scottish]

Well dinnerbones meant to update it aint here?

[xxMATTGxx]

Well dinnerbones meant to update it aint here?

He said that when EvilSteph announced Bukkit was closing/they were leaving. This was before the DMCA takedown - Now it's whole different picture. All the code that can't be used because of this take down would have to be re-written most likely due to this whole "licensing" business.

That's why other people have got together to make a new project called Sponge: http://spongepowered.org/

I think there's a few other projects similar but this is a recent one that a lot of people are talking about now.

[scottish]

either that or they can release the Minecraft Server code (decompiled, deobfuscated version), but Mojang said before that they won't open source for GPL/LGPL license.

But at the end of the day, Mojangs legal team vs Some 18 year old dev doesn't look good for him if he really wants to take it further.


http://forums.bukkit.org/threads/moj...roject.309715/

[xxMATTGxx]

either that or they can release the Minecraft Server code (decompiled, deobfuscated version), but Mojang said before that they won't open source for GPL/LGPL license.

But at the end of the day, Mojangs legal team vs Some 18 year old dev doesn't look good for him if he really wants to take it further.


http://forums.bukkit.org/threads/moj...roject.309715/

For those of you who don’t know me, I am Ryan Morrison, or “VideoGameAttorney” on Reddit. I have spent countless hours over in the gamedev subreddit helping the gaming community get informed and know their rights. As such, when I see one of “the little guys” trampled on, it really makes me lose my temper.
There are few more passionate people in the industry than those who spend their time modding and working on open source software. They know they aren’t doing it for money or recognition; they’re doing it because they love it. So when a company secretly buys a project and doesn’t tell those programmers toiling away on open source projects that they’re now effectively working as free labor, that company is playing with fire.

I have received a lot of emails about Wesley Wolfe and Mojang, and nearly all of them referred to one of the various licenses involved in this debacle. I’ve heard arguments that all of Minecraft is open source now, and I’ve heard Wesley is Hitler’s reincarnation coming to doom all those who dare to craft or mine. Neither is true, at all. Minecraft owns its code, and there is no magical license on the internet or accidental involvement on a project that changes that. In the same regard, Wesley is not doing anything shady or underhanded, he too owns his code and has every right to have it treated as he would like.

A license is a contract. There are many reasons why a contract would be void, and many conditions that make a contract invalid from the get-go. One such condition is being “tricked” into the agreement, which would include agreeing to work on a project under false pretenses. As stated above, an open source project being secretly purchased by a company, in hopes to have that company’s game be improved through it, is as close to a loophole for free labor as you will find. Free labor was outlawed in this country a while ago. We had a whole war about it.

Further, while the arguments that Minecraft is open source are ridiculous, what’s not ridiculous is that the use of Mojang’s code in the projects under a GPL would negate the entire GPL on that project. I can’t create an open source project off one of Blizzard’s games, for example, so why does anyone think it’s different here?

Finally, if I draw a picture of Mickey Mouse, that’s infringement. Disney can come after me and make me take it down or stop using it in whatever I am. But Disney cannot claim ownership over my drawing of Mickey. That’s still mine, even if I can’t use it. So here, if Wesley’s entire code library was infringing, Mojang can make him take it down. But Wesley still owns that infringing code and he can also take it down or, more importantly, tell others to take it down as well. Mojang can’t claim ownership of his code just because it might have infringed on their IP. They can just make him take it down.

There will be many headlines about this in coming weeks. There will be a lot of wild theories and arguments from both sides. But at the end of the day, don’t just believe one side is “good” and the other “bad” here. These things are rarely so simple.

http://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/co..._hundreds_yes/

Also taken from Reddit:

Both parties (Mojang & Non-Mojang Bukkit contributors), due to incompatible licenses, have always had the ability to assert their rights and have the (Bukkit) project taken down. Neither party have the right to take the others code and continue the project without the others consent.

He's not in the wrong - He's allowed to do so, it's his code.