Xbox reveals Minecraft carried profits and restructures Mojang
Minecraft has been a heavy hitter in the gaming space for a long time, thanks to its affordability and accessibility. Pretty much everyone has played the game at some point since its 2011 launch. It remains one of the most popular games even now.
It is beloved, popular, and relevant, which is not true of most 2011 games. So perhaps it’s not a surprise that Microsoft just revealed that the hit sandbox game has been carrying the Xbox gaming sector financially for a long time.
And it’s then not a surprise that the constant reshuffling at Microsoft as they try to forge a path into the future involves changing things for Minecraft, the obvious money-maker.
Minecraft financially carried Xbox
Sources revealed,
per Insider Gaming, that Minecraft used to fund the rest of the gaming portfolio at Microsoft. The game is available on every platform imaginable: PC, mobile, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation, and Xbox. It’s been on virtually every platform that has come out almost since it launched.
It also has some in-game purchases for texture packs, add-ons, and skin packs that have helped make it one of the most profitable games out there. The game is estimated to make between $300 million and $415 million annually, which is more than most games.
Now, the report did say that this is not a current fact. Microsoft is not currently using Mojang’s profits to fund the rest of the gaming library. However, they did for a long time. But with layoffs and restructures happening at an alarming rate now, it’s easy to see that this is a company in need of financial help.
Company restructure
With all this in mind, it’s really easy to see why new Xbox CEO Asha Sharma has pulled Mojang and Minecraft directly under her. Hardly a day has gone by during her tenure as CEO without
a significant change for Microsoft
and Xbox.
What this does, though, is ultimately just remove layers of red tape to go through. This change is designed to
grow the game. That will, in turn, grow the profits for Xbox (Candy Crush and its developer are also being pulled in alongside Mojang).
It could also lead to more updates and more content for the game. That has been a complaint of some longtime members of the player base.
Featured image credit: Mojang
Zachary Roberts
About Zachary Roberts
Zachary Roberts is an avid gamer and writer that loves to merge those things. He’s been featured on VideoGamer, ComicBook, New Leaf, Esports.net, and Sportskeeda as well as the On SI network of Sports Illustrated and Sporting News.
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