NEW YORK — Microsoft’s decision to spend $2.5 billion for the creator of the hit game “Minecraft” could help the Xbox maker grab attention on mobile phones, a new priority for the company.
But the move carries risks, as gamers can be fickle. Although the Lego-like multiplayer game is currently the top paid app for the iPhone and Android devices in the U.S., today’s popular hit could be tomorrow’s dud. The maker of the much obsessed-over “Candy Crush Saga,” for example, rode the game’s popularity to go public this year, only to see its stock falter.
In addition, the founders of Mojang, the Swedish company behind “Minecraft,” aren’t staying with Microsoft. That could raise questions about Mojang’s ability to create another big hit.
Then again, a big hit was not what co-founder Markus “Notch” Persson was after when he created the game, according to a blog post Monday from Mojang and a note from Persson himself on his website.
“It certainly seems like the founders of ‘Minecraft’ didn’t want to continue forward,” Gartner analyst Brian Blau said.
“It was something too big for them. ‘Minecraft’ is best in the hands of somebody who can take it in the direction it needs to go for the user.”
Microsoft has made mobile phones and Internet services priorities for the company as its traditional businesses — Windows and Office software installed on desktops — slow down or decline. With “Minecraft,” Blau said, Microsoft gains a new type of customer — mobile players.
“‘Minecraft’ is very popular on mobile,” Blau said. “It has an audience that wouldn’t necessarily think of Microsoft first. The mobile audience is typically Apple and Samsung.”
“Minecraft” is an “open world” game in gamer lingo, meaning it has no plot or outlined objectives. Blau said it helps that Microsoft knows games.
“It’s got the Xbox,” he said. “So overall … it’s a good move and a good fit because they have experience in the game industry.”