(Yicai Global) March 28 -- Chinese e-commerce giant JD.Com has purchased the exclusive copyright for an educational version of Minecraft, valid on China's mainland, according to its statement released yesterday.

Microsoft and JD.Com are running internal tests on the Chinese version of Minecraft: Education Edition which will be operated by JD Cloud, Yicai Global learned from the Beijing-based parent. The firm did not disclose the price for the intellectual property nor the schedule for release. 

JD Cloud can cooperate with various local governments and educational institutions, and achieve a win-win situation through business, technology and brand influence, said Wu Yiheng, the vice president of JD.Com.

Washington-based Microsoft bought Minecraft sandbox video game franchise in 2014. Minecraft: Education Edition was launched in 2016 and it fuses programming, literature, art and mathematics. The version has 90 million users worldwide, some 35 million of whom are in the US. 

JD.Com branched out to the lucrative education sector in 2017, by offering K-12 education, language training, and study abroad programs. It has served 36 million such users. 

Editor: Emmi Laine