Markus “Notch” Persson said he sold Mojang because Minecraft had grown far beyond the small project he set out to make, bringing pressure and responsibility he no longer wanted. Microsoft announced its $2.5 billion acquisition agreement on September 15, 2014, but Persson’s public explanation focused on the burden of Minecraft’s scale—not on the price as his primary motive.
What Microsoft agreed to buy
On September 15, 2014, Microsoft announced an agreement to acquire Mojang, the Stockholm-based studio behind Minecraft, for $2.5 billion. Microsoft said Mojang would join Microsoft Studios. The announcement was a major franchise deal, but the price alone does not explain Persson’s decision to sell.
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Minecraft | Standard Edition | XBOX Digital Code | $19.99 | Buy on Amazon |
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Minecraft | Java & Bedrock Deluxe Collection | Windows Digital Code | $39.99 | Buy on Amazon |
To explain the scale of the business at the time, Microsoft reported more than 100 million PC downloads since Minecraft launched in 2009, over 2 billion hours played on Xbox 360 during the previous two years, and that nearly 90 percent of paid PC customers had signed in during the prior 12 months. These were figures Microsoft cited in 2014; they are historical indicators, not current measures. The download figure also does not mean 100 million paid copies.
Why Persson said he wanted to leave
Mojang’s announcement, quoted by GeekWire on the day of the deal, said Minecraft had become “a project of monumental significance” and that Persson had never intended it to get so big. The announcement said he did not want the responsibility of owning a company with global significance; attempts to work on smaller projects had been overwhelmed by the pressure of owning Minecraft.
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- Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures
- Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs
- Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
- Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack; Compatible with Nintendo Switch only
In a personal blog post covered contemporaneously by WIRED, Persson described discomfort with the public role that came with the game’s success: “I don’t want to be a symbol, responsible for something huge that I don’t understand.” He also wrote, “I’m not an entrepreneur. I’m not a CEO. I’m a nerdy computer programmer who likes to have opinions on Twitter.” WIRED reported that he planned to leave Mojang and return to small web experiments.
The distinction matters: Mojang’s statement explains the decision in terms of pressure and responsibility, while Persson’s own quoted words highlight the public attention and expectations surrounding the game. The available contemporary accounts do not establish that the $2.5 billion price was his primary personal reason.
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- Explore randomly-generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in Creative Mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armour to fend off the dangerous mobs
Why Microsoft wanted Mojang
Microsoft presented the acquisition as a way to build on Minecraft’s community and reach across platforms. CEO Satya Nadella called Minecraft “more than a great game franchise,” describing it as an open-world platform driven by its community and offering opportunities for both players and Microsoft, in the company’s announcement.
Phil Spencer, then head of Xbox, said Microsoft’s relationship with Mojang began with discussions about bringing Minecraft to consoles. In Xbox Wire’s announcement, Spencer pointed to Minecraft’s standing on Xbox Live and described potential to grow the community through Xbox Live, cloud services, and mobile technology. Those were Microsoft’s strategic reasons and aspirations; they should not be confused with Persson’s personal explanation for selling.
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What the companies said about Minecraft’s future
Microsoft said in 2014 that it planned to continue Minecraft on PC, iOS, Android, Xbox, and PlayStation. Mojang’s statement, reported by The Guardian, likewise said there was no reason development, sales, and support for the then-listed PC/Mac, Xbox, PlayStation, Vita, iOS, and Android versions had to stop.
These were assurances about the companies’ intentions at the time of the acquisition announcement, not guarantees about every later product decision. Persson, Mojang founder Carl Manneh, and co-founder Jakob Porsér were leaving in conjunction with the acquisition, according to contemporary reporting.
Quick Recap
Best Value
- DELUXE COLLECTION — Includes Minecraft: Java & Bedrock Edition, three Bedrock add-ons, three exclusive Character Creator items, and 700 Minecoins.
- CREATE YOUR WORLD — Build whatever you imagine in an infinite world that’s unique in every playthrough.
- EXPLORE AND CRAFT — Discover biomes, resources, and mobs, then craft your way through a sandbox world filled with surprises.
- SURVIVE THE ADVENTURE — Face mysterious foes, travel across exciting landscapes, and venture into perilous dimensions.
- PLAY TOGETHER — Play cross-platform with friends in Bedrock Edition on console, mobile, and PC, or join community servers in Java Edition on PC, Mac, and Linux. Online console multiplayer requires a platform-specific subscription (sold separately).
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- CREATE YOUR WORLD — Build whatever you imagine in an infinite world that is unique in every playthrough.
- EXPLORE AND CRAFT — Discover biomes, resources, and mobs, then craft your way through a sandbox world full of surprises.
- SURVIVAL ADVENTURES — Face mysterious foes, travel across varied landscapes, and venture into perilous dimensions.
- PLAY TOGETHER — Play solo or join friends in local split-screen and cross-platform play across console, mobile, and PC. Online multiplayer supports up to 8 players.
- COMMUNITY PLAY — Connect with players on community servers, or subscribe to Realms Plus (sold separately) to play with up to 10 friends on a private server.
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