how many copies of minecraft were sold before microsoft bought it

Microsoft bought Minecraft in 2014, and at that point the game had sold over 50 million copies. One BBC report from the acquisition said it had sold over 54 million copies before the deal closed.

Quick Scoop

That means the best short answer is: about 50 to 54 million copies were sold before Microsoft acquired Mojang.

Why the number varies

Different reports rounded the figure slightly differently around the time of the purchase. The key point is that Minecraft was already a massive hit long before Microsoft bought it for $2.5 billion.

Context

For comparison, Minecraft later passed 300 million copies sold worldwide in 2023, showing how much it kept growing after the acquisition.

TL;DR: Before Microsoft bought it, Minecraft had sold roughly 54 million copies.