As a subsidiary of Microsoft, one might assume that Minecraft's developer, Mojang, would prioritize utilizing tools such as Teams and Office. However, concerning some of its online infrastructure, Mojang has utilized the platform of one of Microsoft's major competitors: Amazon. Nonetheless, this is changing. Microsoft has plans to migrate Minecraft from Amazon Web Services (AWS) to its own Azure service.
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Since 2014, Mojang has utilized AWS to provide Minecraft Realms. The subscription service, priced at $8 per month, enables players to create dedicated spaces for multiplayer gaming without the hassle of setting up and hosting their own servers.
The company's spokesperson stated: 'Mojang Studios previously relied on AWS, but we have migrated all cloud services to Azure over the past few years. We will complete the full transition to Azure by the end of this year.'
This move holds significant importance for Microsoft. With 126 million active players monthly, Minecraft stands as one of the most popular games globally. Azure, Microsoft's revenue powerhouse, is growing faster than many other segments of the company. In the second quarter of 2020, the company reported a 27% revenue increase for the segment compared to the previous year. You might wonder why Microsoft waited over 5 years after acquiring Mojang to move Minecraft to Azure. The answer lies in the company's desire not to disrupt the studio's culture.
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Matt Booty, the head of Xbox Game Studios, discussed the company's learnings from acquiring Mojang in a recent interview: 'It's easy for a large organization to come in and say 'Hey, we'll show you how it's done. We'll help you transition from this Java code. We'll move everything to C. We'll get you out of Amazon Web Services and onto Azure.' But the important thing is recognizing that the conditions that created Minecraft are likely things that are difficult to replicate within a more 'corporate' structure.'
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