Report: Microsoft buying Mojang -- for more than $2 billion

Update: Bloomberg is now also reporting that "three people with knowledge of the talks" say that Microsoft is looking to buy Mojang for more than $2 billion -- and it also states that Markus Persson might not stick around for too long after the acquisition. "The deal may be concluded as soon as this week, though next week is more likely, said two people," reads the article. Bloomberg says that Markus Persson reached out to Microsoft a few months ago, and that the deal has been in the works since then. Bloomberg's sources also note that the Minecraft creator may not stay with Mojang after the deal has gone through. "Persson will help out with the transition, though he is unlikely to remain beyond that," it reads. Original story: Though it won't name its source, the Wall Street Journal reports that Microsoft has nearly completed a deal to acquire Mojang, the developer of Minecraft, for over $2 billion. The deal "could be signed as early as this week" according to the source. Mojang CEO Carl Manneh refused comment when contacted by the WSJ. If true, it's a strange move; Mojang founder Markus "Notch" Persson has blogged that his studio has decided against acquisition offers in the past: "Mojang does not exist to make as much money as possible for the owners. As the majority shareholder, I’d know. Every time a big money making deal comes up that would make a lot of money, it’s of course very tempting, but at the end of the day we choose to do what either makes the most sense for our products, or the things that seem like fun for us at Mojang," he wrote this past June. Persson has also spoken against the company's Windows 8 operating system on Twitter, albeit two years ago:

Got an email from microsoft, wanting to help "certify" minecraft for win 8. I told them to stop trying to ruin the pc as an open platform.

— Markus Persson (@notch) September 27, 2012

I'd rather have minecraft not run on win 8 at all than to play along. Maybe we can convince a few people not to switch to win 8 that way..

— Markus Persson (@notch) September 27, 2012

Still, the two companies do enjoy a cozy relationship in some respects -- The Xbox 360 is home to the first console version of Minecraft. The game, which started on the PC, is also available on smartphones, tablets, Xbox One, and Sony's PlayStation 3, with PS4 and Vita ports due later this year.