Microsoft nears deal to buy Minecraft maker Mojang : WSJ

Reuters
A employee stands in the Microsoft booth during the 2014 Computex exhibition at the TWTC Nangang exhibition hall in Taipei June 3, 2014. REUTERS/Pichi Chuang

(Reuters) - Microsoft Corp is in serious discussions to buy Mojang AB, the Swedish company behind the popular "Minecraft" video game, The Wall Street Journal said, citing a person with knowledge of the matter. The deal is be valued at more than $2 billion and could be signed as early as this week, the Journal reported. "Minecraft" is a game where players build structures with blocks to protect against nocturnal monsters. The acquisition will add to Microsoft's Xbox video game business, at a time when the competition in the video game console market is heating up. Microsoft said in April it had shipped 5 million Xbox One units to retailers worldwide since the launch. In the same month Sony Corp <6758.T> said it had sold more than 7 million PlayStation 4 units as of April 6 and was struggling to keep up with consumer demand. Microsoft declined to comment. (Reporting By Subrat Patnaik; Editing by David Gregorio)