Minecraft is turning out to be quite a smart investment for Microsoft but many don’t know that the company had the chance to buy the game before 2014. In Microsoft boss Satya Nadella’s new book called Hit Refresh, the executive said that they could’ve bought the game before then but it didn’t happen. While Nadella didn’t provide further details, he did say that they initially passed on the deal. It was Phil Spencer who convinced Nadella to get the game and was pushing for it the whole time. Nadella writes:

“Early in Microsoft’s relationship with Mojang, before I was CEO, Phil presented an opportunity to purchase Minecraft, but Phil’s boss at the time chose not to move forward.”

Had the deal worked out, Microsoft probably wouldn’t have had to pay the $2.5 billion they did in 2014. It would’ve been significantly less. They should’ve listened to Phil’s advice sooner. Just take a look at the Xbox One X. It’s selling out everywhere because it’s exactly what gamers want. Well, it’s still great that Microsoft purchased it and are elevating it to new heights. However, the fact that they passed on Minecraft initially is still surprising and worth knowing.