‘Minecraft’ could boost Microsoft’s mobile-device reach

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.

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. Players can explore and create virtual worlds built from blocky 3-D objects – thus the frequent Lego comparisons.

“It can also be about adventuring with friends or watching the sun rise over a blocky ocean. It’s pretty. Brave players battle terrible things in The Nether, which is more scary than pretty. You can also visit a land of mushrooms if it sounds more like your cup of tea,” Minecraft’s website explains.

Besides iPhones and Android devices, the game is available on Windows, Macs, Microsoft’s Xbox and Sony’s PlayStation. Microsoft said it will continue to make “Minecraft” available on all those platforms after the deal closes, expected this year.

The game has been downloaded 100 million times on personal computers since its debut in 2009, and it’s the most popular online game on Microsoft’s Xbox console.