Spencer vows that Minecraft will not be pulled from PlayStation and iOS

Xbox boss Phil Spencer has said that Microsoft’s acquisition of Mojang will not result in the game being dropped on rival platforms.

At Microsoft, we believe in the power of content to unite people,” he said. Minecraft adds diversity to our game portfolio and helps us reach new gamers across multiple platforms. Gaming is the top activity across devices and we see great potential to continue to grow the Minecraft community and nurture the franchise.

That is why we plan to continue to make Minecraft available across platforms – including iOS, Android and PlayStation, in addition to Xbox and PC.”

The $2.5bn acquisition was confirmed just moments ago, along with the departure of Mojang founders Markus Persson, Carl Manneh and Jakob Porser from the company.

Minecraft is one of the most popular video games of all time, with more than 100 million downloads, on PC alone, from players since its launch in 2009,” Spencer said. Our relationship with Mojang began when we initially talked to the team about bringing Minecraft to the console.

Minecraft quickly became the top online game on Xbox Live, with over two billion hours played on Xbox 360 in the last two years. That working relationship set the groundwork for other opportunities. We’ve long seen the incredible potential of Minecraft.

The Minecraft community is passionate and diverse, ranging across all ages and demographics. We respect the brand and independent spirit that has made Minecraft great, and we’ll carry on the tradition of innovation to move the franchise forward. Our investments in cloud, Xbox Live and mobile technology will enable players to benefit from richer and faster worlds, more powerful development tools, and more opportunities to connect with the Minecraft community.

The Minecraft team’s unique vision, creative energy and innovative mindset make them a perfect fit alongside our other global studios. Microsoft Studios includes 343 Industries, Turn 10 Studios, and Lionhead Studios just to name a few. We’re excited to welcome Mojang to the Microsoft family and we are thrilled to support the success and longevity of Minecraft for years to come.”

Spencer also confirmed that the Minecon convention will continue to take place.