Youngsters play the Minecraft video game. From Getty Images.
SEATTLE -- Microsoft has bought the maker of one of the most popular video games of all time, the Seattle tech company announced Monday morning.
Microsoft recently purchased video game maker Mojang, the company behind Minecraft, a game downloaded more than 100 million times since 2009.
According to the Seattle Times, the tech giant paid $2.5 billion -- that's billion, with a "B" -- for the Swedish gamemaker.
Minecraft -- the most popular online game on Xbox -- now joins a Microsoft Studios team responsible for popular titles such as Halo, Forza and Fable. Phil Spencer, the head of Xbox Microsoft Studios, said the acquisition provides diversity to the company's game portfolio, as well as a way to reach gamers across multiple platforms.
"The Minecraft team's unique vision, creative energy and innovative mindset make them a perfect fit alongiside our other global studios," Spencer said in a release Monday.
The company plans to expand Minecraft among more devices such as iOS, Android and Playstation in the coming months, Microsoft said in a release.