Minecraft Dev: Releasing Sales Figures Is Good for Business

[The Continental]

Minecraft creator Markus 'Notch' Persson has had a storied development with his indie gem since its release last year, a fact that he has had no reservations about sharing on the official Minecraft page, in which anyone can see just how many people have purchased the title. Notch believes voluntarily sharing this information has helped endear the game to its community, particularly in an industry in which accurate sales data has become a commodity.

"Personally I like sharing that information, because I'm generally an open guy," he claimed. "But it feels a bit sometimes like it's a bragging page.

Persson told GamesIndustry.biz that he did this not to show off, but as a way of engaging with his customers.

"That wasn't the intention, because originally it was for the people who had brought the game could see like a number increase on a webpage or something. I think it's a good sign, if you're actually open with your development and you're also open about the sales, it feels like you're genuine in some sense."

As of this posting, Minecraft has sold 666,854 copies at €9.95 (~$13.00) a piece.

Source: Eurogamer

[JayVe]

Being open and forthcoming about information spreads trust.

[LongStepMantis]

Notch has made 8.6 million dollars thus far from a game he made by himself because it seemed like a fun idea.

He deserves every cent. I wish titles from major devs had half of the pure creativity and focus on fun that Minecraft possesses.

[ThievesAmongUs]

Did they ever say if PayPal released Notch's money from his PayPal account ?

[Arphahat]

Originally Posted by ThievesAmongUs

Did they ever say if PayPal released Notch's money from his PayPal account ?

I suspect they did, since that was awhile ago he was having issues and now has actually setup a company with his earnings, including renting office space and hiring others.

The sales figure is amazing. Go to the site and note the number when you arrive. Wait 10 seconds or so and then refresh. It always is increasing by at least one or two at a time. Pure awesome. I should create some awesome game that is universally loved. Maybe right after I play just a little bit more Minecraft...

[MagGnome]

Originally Posted by LongStepMantis

Notch has made 8.6 million dollars thus far from a game he made by himself because it seemed like a fun idea.

He deserves every cent. I wish titles from major devs had half of the pure creativity and focus on fun that Minecraft possesses.

There was a time when many more games with that kind of charm, creativity, and "soul" came out, but sadly that faded away as gaming became more corporate. Thank goodness for indie developers like Notch!

Originally Posted by Arphahat

The sales figure is amazing. Go to the site and note the number when you arrive. Wait 10 seconds or so and then refresh. It always is increasing by at least one or two at a time. Pure awesome. I should create some awesome game that is universally loved. Maybe right after I play just a little bit more Minecraft...

When I was younger I really wanted to be a game developer (or a novelist). I did some programming in Basic (or Q Basic?) when I was eight or so, and always loved playing with modding tools and level editors. For some reason I gave up on this in high school. The success of Minecraft and other indie developers makes me wish I had stuck with it - who knows where I'd be by now.

[Arphahat]

Originally Posted by MagGnome

When I was younger I really wanted to be a game developer (or a novelist). I did some programming in Basic (or Q Basic?) when I was eight or so, and always loved playing with modding tools and level editors. For some reason I gave up on this in high school. The success of Minecraft and other indie developers makes me wish I had stuck with it - who knows where I'd be by now.

For every huge success there are those who are struggling to get by. And, as a general rule, working in the game industry doesn't pay well and has crazy hours, unless you are doing it as an Indie by yourself.

I planned on being a game developer and got a degree in CS. However, I was able to make much, much more by doing non-game related programming, so that is what I do. Still, I keep meaning to mess around with some ideas I have on my own. Maybe I'll start back with my "Daily Developer" project again for the new year.

[MagGnome]

That's true, just like with writing. Very few people actually make a great living doing it. Most slave away with little to show for it, which is unfortunate.

[Wasson_]

Not to mention it helps being honest when you have an obviously good and obviously popular product in your hand.