Markus Persson aka Notch developed Minecraft in 2011, a videogame that made him a billionaire. His personal net worth, however, was not enough to buy him happiness.
Markus Persson, also known as "Notch," is arguably the most successful video game developer of all time. He single-handedly developed one of the best and most profitable games ever: Minecraft, which earned him a staggering net worth. Minecraft bought Persson an $85 million mansion in Beverly Hills. It did not, however, buy him fulfillment and happiness.
Markus Persson was born in Ystad, Sweden. Following his success, Persson revealed a history of family abuse and his father’s substance abuse in a Reddit post. Probably to escape the reality he was living in, Persson started programming at the age of 7, developing his first game at 9 years old.
In 2011, at the age of 32, he created a game that would forever change the industry: Minecraft. It is a sandbox game heavily focused on crafting, with minimalist graphics and a relaxing atmosphere.
Released in November 2011, by August next year Minecraft had already sold 7 million copies. New updates and patches improved the game and added more and more mechanics. In 2020, Minecraft became the most popular game of all time with over 200 million copies sold.
Persson himself had a 42% royalty share with Mojang, Minecraft’s developing studio. In 2011, Minecraft’s first year of existence, Persson’s share was $56 million. By 2013, his share of revenues became $130 million.
A modern Gatsby
In 2014, Markus Persson decided to sell Mojang, and therefore the copyright for Minecraft, to the tech giant Microsoft. The acquisition amounted to $2.5 billion, 71% of which went into Persson’s pockets.
After taxes, Markus Persson’s net worth amounted to $1.3 billion, which remains pretty stable today.
So, Persson had everything a man could achieve. He became a billionaire following his passion, quite literally the definition of the American dream.
Nevertheless, Persson’s public statements started to signal some sort of distress. After the sale to Microsoft, Persson started to post heavily controversial statements on Twitter. He called feminism a “social disease” and claimed that transgender people are “mentally ill”.
After further controversial statements, Microsoft severed every link with Persson, deleting his name from Minecraft’s home page. Furthermore, Persson was not invited to Minecraft’s tenth-anniversary party.
Persson himself often admitted his distress. He had difficulties finding a romantic partner and often regretted selling Mojang to Microsoft. He never created another game after the sale and was essentially isolated in his Beverly Hills mansion, much like a modern Gatsby.
In short, one could argue that Persson’s real vocation was to make games and never to be a billionaire. Not everyone is suited for the life of the ultra-wealthy, and some may find happiness elsewhere.
Perhaps it is true that money doesn’t buy happiness. Certainly not for everyone.
