In an exclusive interview with Variety, Microsoft has told the press that for the upcoming 10-year Anniversary event in Sweden they won’t be inviting the game’s original creator Marcus “Notch” Persson. The decision is explained by Notch’s controversial opinions and comments on social media.
This May 17th, fans of the industry-changing true sandbox game Minecraft will be gathering in Stockholm, Sweden. Microsoft is planning to hold a very special celebration there as this year marks the charming block builder game’s 10th anniversary. Yes, it’s already been a whole decade of digging dirt, mining for ore, and of course building. Lots of building.
It would be shocking if there was a person who hasn’t heard of Minecraft but the truth is, a lot of important things might have flown under the radar for a large portion of its player base. After quickly gaining the attention and imagination of Millions of creative gamers since the game first released on May 17, 2009. Back then, Minecraft was a small project helmed by a single Swedish independent developer. Markus Persson. After the successful launch of an early in-development build, Notch started the studio Mojang.
The insane popularity which Minecraft gained as time went on never really let off, and soon one of the most influential games ever created got the attention of Microsoft. In 2014 Microsoft bought Minecraft and Mojang for a whopping $2.5 Billion. Notch became rich overnight and decided to leave the game he created.
What could have ended here as a fairy tale story sadly took a turn for the ugly as Notch continuously began to alienate fans with his ridiculous and offensive Tweets. It’s exactly this fall from grace by Notch which now leaves Microsoft no chance but distance themselves and their game Minecraft from its original creator by not inviting him to the 10-year Anniversary event this May.
While Notch might have lost the appreciation of Minecraft players, the game itself still continues strong with over 90 million players each month. Not surprising since the game is available practically everywhere.
