A few eyebrows were raised when Microsoft spent an eye-watering $2.5 billion USD to acquire Minecraft and the studio that created it, Mojang, back in 2014. But then again, with the numbers that the creative title is able to boast, it's actually not all that surprising.
According to a new report in the NYTimes, the game still routinely sells an incredible 10,000 copies every single day, further adding players to a community that includes 100 million registered players. It's actually the third best-selling game in history (behind Tetris and Wii Sports).
Other interesting details drawn from the article include the news that the average player is aged between 28-29 years old, and that women make up 40% of the player base. On top of that, the game remains popular on YouTube, where there are more than 70 million videos showing people playing the game and/or discussing it.
When you consider it on those terms, and the mindshare that the game gives Microsoft (consider, the PlayStation version of the game remains on sale, and after Mojang was snapped up by MS, the game also launched on Wii U), the steep price paid for the game and its developer doesn't seem as jaw-dropping as it once did.