No, Minecraft was not made by a kid

While Minecraft has become massively popular among children since its release, the original creator Markus "Notch" Persson was a 33 year old programmer when he first developed the game.

As a fan of games like Infiniminer and Dwarf Fortress, Notch created Minecraft as a personal project during his free time in 2009. He gradually honed the sandbox construction concept through early prototypes before publicly releasing the first test version that May.

Let‘s delve deeper into the origins of this iconic franchise and who exactly is the mastermind behind one of the world‘s most popular video games.

History of Minecraft and Notch: 2009-2011

Notch began working on Minecraft in May of 2009 under the working title "Cave Game." Inspired by other sandbox building titles, he wanted to create a open-ended game focused on placing textured cubes in a 3D generated world.

The initial prototype was built in a week and received gradual updates based on user feedback. As word spread among gaming circles, the game saw rising popularity and activity. By mid 2010, downloads had reached over 30,000.

Buoyed by the response, Notch made the decision to leave his job as a developer at King.com so he could focus exclusively on Minecraft. He continued to release updates and new features, completing the official 1.0 release on November 18, 2011.

By this point, over 4 million copies of the game had already been sold. Minecraft would become a breakthrough hit, critical in cementing the battle royale genre and sandbox gameplay.

Minecraft‘s Runaway Success and Sale to Microsoft

In November 2011, Minecraft reached over 4 million sales. Notch continued issued updates and ports to additional platforms like mobile and Xbox over the next few years.

Playerbase and sales accelerated exponentially. By 2013, the game surpassed 30 million copies sold across all platforms. The following year, Microsoft purchased Mojang Studios (and the rights to MIinecraft) for a staggering $2.5 billion dollars.

Microsoft continued to invest in growing Minecraft, launching new games like Story Mode, Education Edition focused on schools, the augmented reality Minecraft Earth in 2019, and more.

As of 2022, analysts estimate over 238 million copies of Minecraft sold across all platforms and versions globally. With over 140 million monthly active players, Minecraft has cemented itself as one of the true titans of gaming.

While beloved by kids around the world, Minecraft owes its origins and evolution to the the vision of creator Markus Persson. Let‘s explore more of who Notch is and his guiding design principles.

Who is Notch?

Markus Alexej "Notch" Persson was born in Stockholm, Sweden in 1979. He developed an interest in programming from an early age, creating his first games on his Commodore 128 as a child.

Notch went on to study computer science before taking a series of developer jobs at various Swedish game studios like Midasplayer and King. However, he continued to work on small experimental game projects in his personal time.

As early inspiration for Minecraft, Notch was heavily influenced by Infiniminer, a block-based sandbox game with a focus on gathering resources and building structurers. Intrigued by the concept but wanting to expand the creative element, Notch drew from similar titles like Dwarf Fortress to hone is vision for Minecraft.

After the success of Minecraft, Notch has largely stayed out of the public eye while still occasionally posting development updates on social media. He maintains a played but influentual role following Microsoft‘s acquisition.

While no precise age is publicly listed, estimates based on Notch‘s background would suggest he was born in 1979. That would make his around 33 when he first began work on Minecraft in 2009.

Minecraft vs Similar Games

Minecraft has often been noted for its wide appealinrg gameplay that atracts both kids and adult audiences. Let‘s compare Minecraft against some other massive multiplayer franchises in this genre to better understand their recommendations and content.

Age Ratings

Minecraft and Roblox share an "Everyone 10+" rating from ESRB along with a PEGI 7+ designation. Fortnite on the other hand caries a higher minimum age of 12-13+ largely due to its battle royale concepts.

Monthly Active Players

In terms of current players, Minecraft still leads Fortnite by a solid margin but trails behind Roblox now that has overtaken the industry in recent years. However, Roblox targets a lower age range compared to more a traditional gameplay style of Minecraft.

Sales and Revenue

Considering lifetime sales, Minecraft still eclipses the competition at over 238 million copies sold worldwide across all versions and platforms over the past decade.

However, free-to-play games like Fortnite hauled in estimated $9 billion in total 2020 revenue compared to around $1.1 billion for Minecraft. So while Minecraft continues to sell huge volumes of base game copies, evolving virtual economies of rivals are competitive in revenue.

The Verdict: Not Made for Kids But Loved by All Ages

While accessible and appealing for children, Minecraft was originally envisioned by creator Notch as an open sandbox game for all types of players to build and create to their hearts desire.

Its age neutral focus and popularity has been compared to virtual Lego. Over 238 million copies sold makes it one of the highest selling video games in history. It‘s simplicity yet nearly unlimited gameplay possibilities help explain why is has become a world wide phenomenon across both kids and adults.

Microsoft continues to expand the franchise‘s reach in areas like augmented reality and the education market. Backed by over a decade of post-launch support and ongoing technical innovations, Minecraft seems poised to continue as a juggernaut gaming brand that players young and old will continue to enjoy for years to come.