MICROSOFT has bought Minecraft maker Mojang in a deal worth around £1.5 billion.

Stockholm-based Mojang has sold more than 54 million copies of Minecraft, which lets players create structures, explore maps and engage in battles.

Mojang said: "We've worked closely with Microsoft since 2012, and have been impressed by their continued dedication to our game and its development.

"We're confident that Minecraft will continue to grow in an awesome way."

Dundee based 4J Studios has worked on the editions of Minecraft which are available for the Xbox and Playstation consoles.