Microsoft nearing $2 bln deal to buy Minecraft maker Mojang

Tech titan Microsoft is said to be nearing a deal worth $2 billion to purchase Minecraft maker Mojang.

Acquiring Minecraft, which has sold more than 54 million units across all hardware platforms-Microsoft's Windows and Xbox 360, Apple's Mac, Sony's PlayStation 3, and mobile platforms like Apple's iOS and Google's Android-could be a big boost for Microsoft's Xbox, CNET reported.

Minecraft became an instant hit when it was launched in 2009, giving people a simple version of the kind of building environment that helped propel the virtual world Second Life into the mainstream.

Minecraft has been highly profitable, as well, earning $128 million in profit in 2013, report said.

For Microsoft, the deal would be the first worth 10 figures under new. "It would also be somewhat of an unexpected plunge for Mr. Nadella, who has signaled Xbox isn't a core business for Microsoft," the Journal reported. "At the same time,

Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella said that Microsoft views video games as a way to expand the company's footholds in PCs and mobile phones. In a letter to employees in July, Mr. Nadella called gaming the 'single biggest digital life category, measured in both time and money spent, in a mobile-first world, the report added.