Most acquisitions are made in the name of growth, a shared vision, and a strategic exit. But in the the sale of Swedish game developer Mojang, the move had more to do with the leader's stress.
Like many entrepreneurs who work long hours and get depressed, Mojang co-founder Markus Persson never saw himself as a businessman. As he wrote in a candid blog post this morning, he views himself as a "nerdy computer programmer who likes to have opinions on Twitter." That's why, after Microsoft bought Mojang and its celebrated "Minecraft" franchise for $2.5 billion, he announced he was stepping down as chief executive to "go back to doing [gaming events such as] Ludum Dares and small Web experiments."
"It's not about the money," Persson concluded. "It's about my sanity."
Mojang's other co-founders, Carl Manneh and Jakob Porser, announced they're leaving the company as well. The potential loss of the founders' original vision also may have been a factor in their decision, not unlike many founders who leave after an acquisition.
"'Minecraft' is the kind of game that seems ruled by its fans, not the company that made it," said Ethan Gilsdorf, a gaming and geek culture expert, in an interview with Inc. So the founders may have been concerned that Microsoft would do away with its community culture, leaving players to feel "they are being force-fed rules and updates in some top-down marketing scheme."
"Minecraft" is one of the most innovative and popular video games in history, with more than 100 million downloads on PC alone since its 2009 launch. It 's also the most popular online game on Xbox and the top paid app for iOS and Android in the U.S. Microsoft plans to continue making the game available across current platforms, as well as on Sony PlayStation.
