The price tag on Mojang, a company only 5 years old, is $2.5 billion dollars. Its buyer? Microsoft.

Mojang is the developer of Minecraft, an indie block-based game that puts players in an open world to create, destroy and build creations of whatever they can possibly imagine; think Lego on steroids.

A remarkable sensation across all age groups, Minecraft has sold over 54 million copies and produced an enthusiastic cult following as well as a vibrant online community.

Grossing over $100 million in the last year alone (with expansions to several new platforms), this outrageous success has left Markus Persson in a position he could not have possibly imagined when Minecraft was first released in 2009.

In a blog post on Sept. 15, Persson thanks his many devoted fans and followers, “for turning Minecraft into what it has become.” He goes on to state that, “there are too many of you, and I can’t be responsible for something this big.”

And he’s not alone. Small companies that have developed massive followings are being bought out left and right as the big companies get even bigger.

A simple idea, no matter how small, can be transformed into the next greatest thing, impacting the lives of millions and earning millions of dollars as well. In the case of Twitch, a live streaming video game website, that number was $970 million.

Live streaming means that you can watch someone else play your favorite video games in real time, similar to watching your favorite sports team on TV. In this case however, you can also chat and interact with your favorite live-streamer and his fans in a live community chat box, making the experience all the more interactive and engaging.

How does the public feel about their favorite small-business being bought out?

Diablo Valley College student Sean Lin, 18, a mechanical engineering major, is an avid user of Twitch, and feels that the buyout was beneficial for the future of the company.

“To be honest, I kind of like the big companies taking over, they know more of the service and they’ve done it before,” Lin said. “They know how to improve upon something much better, instead of small companies that might not be able to fulfill what they wanted, because they might not have the source or know how to do it.”

On the other hand, DVC student Danielle Powers, 19, a psychology major, feels “there is way too much power given to these big corporations,” she said.

As Minecraft fan James Kim, 19, a mechanical engineering major, points out, “I don’t see whether this is a good thing or a bad thing. I can guarantee with the price they purchased the company for, they’re going to put it everywhere and on everything. They’re going to market this thing in every way possible, and they’ve got the money to do so,” he said.