It has been reported by The Wall Street Journal that Microsoft is close to inking the deal to buy Mojang AB, the company from Sweden that was responsible for the creation of popular video game Minecraft.

The deal is said to be worth over $2 billion and that Microsoft and Mojang are likely to sign it very soon. If the deal pushes through, the game will be added to the Xbox video game business of Microsoft, coming at a time when competition in the market for video game consoles is on the rise.

In April, Microsoft announced that it has already shipped 5 million units of Xbox One since it was launched while rival Sony said that more than 7 millions PS4 units have been sold as of April and that the demand continues.

Minecraft, a video game which involves players building structures with blocks as protection against monsters that crawl out at night, is highly successful and had sold over 54 million copies for mobile devices, game consoles and PC. There are countless numbers of videos created by fans on how to play the game. It has spawned other merchandise including accessories, clothing and toys. Lego even made a set to honor the game's success.

The founder of Mojang, Markus Persson, had been very vocal about wanting his company to remain independent. Mojang earned a profit of over $100 million last year. Bloomberg, on the other hand, reported that Microsoft and Persson are on very good terms since the Xbox port for Minecraft was successful. The report went on to say that it was Persson who initiated the deal but will not stay with the company once the deal is signed.

Tech analysts are saying that the purchase would be used by Microsoft to entice users to its unnoticed mobile platform, the Windows phone, whose growth is hindered because game and app developers have been ignoring it. Microsoft has declined to comment on the deal.