Microsoft Opens Store in 'Minecraft' to Outside Sellers
April 10 2017 - 04:38PM
Dow Jones News
By Sarah E. Needleman
Microsoft plans to launch a new marketplace inside its hit
block-building videogame "Minecraft," where other businesses can
sell virtual game-related goods to players.
The software giant already sells its own virtual goods in
"Minecraft," a game in which players construct any object
imaginable -- the Taj Mahal, even entire worlds -- with Lego-style
blocks. Different versions of the game allow players to fight
zombies with friends and go on other adventures within the
"Minecraft" universe.
For the first time, though, Microsoft will open the store to
third-party content creators, effectively turning the game into a
kind of app-store for outside developers. The move creates a
moneymaking opportunity for Microsoft while potentially helping it
add to its base of 55 million people who play "Minecraft" each
month.
Microsoft plans to open the store later this spring, the company
said Monday in a blog post. At the start, Microsoft is partnering
with nine privately held sellers, though other businesses -- not
individuals -- can apply to sell goods in the marketplace.
Microsoft said it is being selective to ensure only high-quality
items are sold in the store.
Players will be able buy a "Minecraft" digital currency, which
then can be spent in the game on character costumes, maps, new
story lines and other content -- a typical experience for games,
particularly mobile games such as "Pokémon Go."
The "Minecraft Marketplace" will be available on Windows 10
personal computers, mobile devices and virtual-reality headsets.
App stores such as Alphabet Inc.'s Google Play will take a 30% cut
of sales, with content creators receiving an unspecified "majority"
of the balance, Microsoft said.
Notably absent is Microsoft's own Xbox One console and rival
machines such as Sony Corp.'s PlayStation 4. Microsoft said the
marketplace won't be available on game consoles because "Minecraft"
is more popular on mobile devices and PCs. The company declined to
say whether it will come to consoles at a later date.
Microsoft in 2014 bought Mojang AB, the maker of the
"Minecraft," for $2.5 billion. More than 122 million copies have
been sold as of February, the company said. A classroom edition was
released for schools in November.
Write to Sarah E. Needleman at sarah.needleman@wsj.com
(END) Dow Jones Newswires
April 10, 2017 16:23 ET (20:23 GMT)
Copyright (c) 2017 Dow Jones & Company, Inc.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Historical Stock Chart
From Feb 2024 to Mar 2024
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT)
Historical Stock Chart
From Mar 2023 to Mar 2024