Back in September, Microsoft paid a whopping $2.5 billion to buy Mojang and its sandbox hit Minecraft. At the time, some wondered why Microsoft was making such a move. Now, Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella says in a new interview with The New York Times that HoloLens was a major part of the decision.
“Let's have a game that, in fact, will fundamentally help us change new categories," Nadella said. “HoloLens was very much in the works [when Microsoft announced the deal last year], and we knew it."
During the HoloLens announcement event in January, Microsoft showed off a Minecraft tech demo, though the company was clear that this was very much a work-in-progress. But it's not hard to imagine the appeal of Minecraft in an environment beyond a PC or smartphone.
GameSpot sister site CNET got to try the Minecraft demo back in January. Editor Nick Statt wrote about it: "The demo turns an entire room into a lively game world, punching holes into tables and through the walls to reveal interactive environments that can be changed with the tap of a finger."
http://www.gamespot.com/articles/microsoft-bought-minecraft-in-part-because-of-holo/1100-6427032/
