Hey friend! Have you ever wondered exactly how much money the creator of Minecraft has made? As one of the best selling video games of all time across multiple platforms, Minecraft has made its founder Markus "Notch" Persson an incredibly wealthy man. Let‘s take a deep dive into breaking down Notch‘s massive net worth and ongoing revenue from Minecraft!
Notch Scored a Multi-Billion Dollar Payday by Selling Mojang Studios
Notch first released Minecraft in 2009 and quickly saw it become a viral hit. He founded Mojang Studios in 2010 to support the game‘s development and promote his indie creation to ever greater heights. By mid-2014, over 50 million copies of Minecraft had been sold and Notch was already riding high with hundreds of millions in wealth.
But then he shocked the gaming world by selling Mojang and the rights to Minecraft to Microsoft for the jaw-dropping sum of $2.5 billion! This instantly made Notch one of the richest people in tech with a net worth estimated around $1.5 billion dollars. As owner of over 60% of Mojang at the time of sale, he pocketed over $1.3 billion pre-tax personally from the Microsoft deal.
Notch‘s net worth exploded after the $2.5 billion sale of Mojang Studios to Microsoft in 2014
Microsoft Has Earned Over $6.5 Billion from Minecraft
And Microsoft has continued to reap vast profits from Minecraft since acquiring it in 2014. With over 200 million copies sold now across a wide span of gaming platforms and devices, total lifetime revenue from Minecraft has surpassed $6.5 billion as of late 2020!
In 2020 alone, Minecraft brought in approximately $350 million dollars for Microsoft from game sales, licensing deals, merchandise, and more. That makes it one of their most valuable properties years after initial purchase.
Just look at this breakdown of Minecraft‘s revenue by platform over time. It‘s truly staggering!
| Platform | Revenue |
| PC | $2.5 billion |
| Mobile | $1.9 billion |
| Console | $1.6 billion |
| Total | $6.5 billion |
Minecraft‘s revenue by platform as of late 2020
Other Major Game Developers Have Earned Mega Fortunes
Notch may be the most famous Minecraft multibillionaire, but he‘s far from the only game developer swimming in cash. Let‘s look at a few other examples:
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Gabe Newell – Co-founder and president of Valve Corporation, makers of classic games like Half-Life, Counter-Strike and Portal. Also created the Steam digital distribution platform. Net worth estimated at $4 billion.
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Tim Sweeney – Founder and CEO of Epic Games. Best known for Fortnite which has earned Epic Games over $5 billion so far. Sweeney‘s personal net worth also estimated to be around $4 billion.
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John Carmack – Legendary programmer and co-founder of id Software. Contributed to seminal games like Doom, Quake, and Wolfenstein 3D. Net worth of at least $40 million.
Clearly game development can lead to incredible fortunes for stand-out titles that capture the public‘s attention!
What is Notch Doing With His Billions From Minecraft?
Since his huge payday from selling Mojang Studios, Notch has lived a lavish lifestyle with his newfound billions. He‘s bought million dollar mansions in Beverly Hills, invested in various tech startups, and donated money to causes he cares about.
For example, in 2015 Notch gave $250,000 to the Electronic Frontier Foundation, an organization that defends online civil liberties. He also invested in several Swedish fintech companies leading to even greater returns on his wealth.
Notch is no longer involved in active development of Minecraft, having left Mojang after the Microsoft sale. But he continues to reap the benefits of Minecraft‘s ongoing popularity and profitability. By creating such a simple yet ingeniously engaging game a decade ago, Notch earned a permanent place among the ultra-rich!
Why Has Minecraft Been So Wildly Successful and Profitable?
Now you may be wondering – just why has Minecraft minted so much money over such a long period of time? Most video games, even really popular ones, see their revenue drop off after a few years. What makes Minecraft so different?
There are a few key factors that explain its enduring and phenomenal success:
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Creative, Kid-Friendly Gameplay – At its core, Minecraft offers a digital sandbox where players can build almost anything they can imagine using blocks. This taps into kids‘ creativity in ways other games don‘t.
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Massive Fan Community – Minecraft has developed an absolutely massive and dedicated fan base creating content, modifying the game, and keeping it culturally relevant for over a decade.
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Release on All Major Platforms – Minecraft is available on PC, game consoles, and mobile devices, exposing it to the widest possible audience.
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Smart Monetization Model – An initial purchase fee plus ongoing paid content/merchandising means a steady revenue stream even years after launch.
Minecraft has achieved the impossible – not just staying popular past its peak, but actually growing years later. And there‘s no end in sight to its geyser of money as new generations of gamers continue to be drawn to its creative, blocky charms!
The Takeaway: Game Development Can Lead to Unfathomable Wealth
The staggering net worth of Minecraft‘s creator clearly shows how financially rewarding game development can be when you have that one-in-a-million hit. Though Notch‘s story is unique, it still serves as inspiration for indie developers everywhere that a breakout blockbuster game can transform your life forever!
So in summary friend, the owner and creator of Minecraft is straight-up, unequivocally, certified rich AF! We‘re talking billions and billions from a single creation that he was able to parlay into a multi-billion dollar payout from Microsoft. And with Minecraft continuing to churn out money, Notch seems set to live in the lap of luxury for the foreseeable future thanks to his block-building baby. What an inspiration!
