An analyst has suggested that Microsoft's rumored acquisition of Minecraft developer Mojang may be more for promoting their mobile platform than their Xbox brand.
"We don’t view this acquisition as a signal of Microsoft's intent to double down on Xbox but consider it an attempt to better address mobile on a cross-platform basis," analyst Rick Sherlund said of the deal. "This also appears to be consistent with (Microsoft) CEO Satya Nadella’s mobile and cloud strategy."
Minecraft has been one of the top-selling games on iOS for a long time, and the game's absence on the Windows Phone could explain why the company would want to push forward with the deal.
Minecraft creator Marcus Persson has explained why Minecraft has not been on Windows Phone before, stating that the user base for the device was simply too small to justify porting it over.
"Both Symbian and Blackberry have more users than Windows Phone," Persson wrote.
Backing up Persson's claims, tech research firm IDC has cited that the Windows Phone system holds 2.5 percent of the world's smartphone market, claiming that the platform remains small because developers tend to ignore it.
Dave Bisceglia of mobile game studio Tap Lab sees the acquisition as a way for Microsoft to sell phones to current Minecraft fans.
“It seems like Microsoft is looking at Mojang and Minecraft as a way to tap into this enormous cultural phenomenon," he said. "If you look at iOS, Minecraft has been a top-grossing game for quite some time, [and] if Microsoft could on Windows phones give players a unique and compelling experience that you can't get on the other platforms, that could be a driver to sell devices to existing Minecraft fans.”
Microsoft is rumored to announce the deal to purchase Mojang for $2.5 Billion USD on September 15.
Keep it locked to IGN for more details on this story as they emerge.
