Mojang Studios

The initial alpha version of Minecraft was released in May 2009, and its success grew rapidly through word-of-mouth. The game's open-ended, block-based sandbox world allows players to build, explore, and survive, fostering a massive global community. The company was officially incorporated as Mojang AB in late 2010. The game's success led to significant revenue growth, with the company reporting $237.7 million in revenue in 2012.

A major milestone in the company's history was its acquisition by Microsoft for $2.5 billion in November 2014. The deal was initiated after Persson, feeling the pressure of owning such a globally significant company, tweeted about selling his shares. Following the acquisition, all three founders—Persson, Porsér, and Manneh—departed from Mojang. Mojang then became part of Microsoft's Xbox Game Studios.

Under Microsoft's ownership, Mojang was rebranded to Mojang Studios in 2020 and has continued to expand the Minecraft universe. The business model is multi-faceted, generating revenue from initial game sales, a subscription service called Minecraft Realms for private servers, and the Minecraft Marketplace. The Marketplace allows community creators to sell their own content like skins, maps, and texture packs, with Mojang taking a share of the revenue. The franchise has also expanded into merchandise, books, and spin-off games such as *Minecraft Dungeons* and *Minecraft Legends*, as well as an educational version, *Minecraft Education*.