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After $2.5 billion buyout, Minecraft creator has never felt more isolated

Published Aug 30th, 2015 6:30PM EDT
Minecraft Markus Persson

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For many developers, the allure of creating a hit application and raking in lots of money is enough to justify long hours and months, if not years, of thankless work spent hunched over a computer and tinkering with code. And while some developers may not be interested in being bought out by a larger corporation (read: Mark Zuckerberg), for others, the money, which can be life-changing, is simply too good to pass up.

While one might easily assume that developers who cash out for untold millions are just as happy living the good life as they are coding away at a 9-5, that’s not always the case.

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Back in September of 2014, Microsoft, never one to shy away from big acquisitions, laid out $2.5 billion to acquire Mojang AB, the Swedish video game company behind Minecraft.

At the time of the acquisition, Markus Persson, the lead designer on Minecraft and one of the company’s founders, said that he wouldn’t be joining Microsoft and would instead pursue other projects.

With millions upon millions of dollars to his name, Persson appeared to waste no time putting that money to good use. Just three months after the Microsoft acquisition, Persson paid $70 million for an opulent Beverly Hills mansion, complete with a 2,500 bottle wine room, a candy room, and 15 bathrooms.

Persson also began hosting wild parties where guests like Skrillex, Selena Gomez, and Tony Hawk would sometimes make appearances.

But as the old saying goes, money can’t buy happiness.

Over the weekend, Persson put out a series of tweets indicating that he has never felt more isolated in his life. At the core of Persson’s discontent, it would seem, is a lack of purpose and general uneasiness about not having to work.

 

 

 

 

 

 

After a few back and forth exchanges on Twitter, some filled with profanities, it seemed that Persson finally came to appreciate that his feelings were quite normal given his circumstances.

 

 

Yoni Heisler Contributing Writer

Yoni Heisler has been writing about Apple and the tech industry at large with over 15 years of experience. A life long expert Mac user and Apple expert, his writing has appeared in Edible Apple, Network World, MacLife, Macworld UK, and TUAW.

When not analyzing the latest happenings with Apple, Yoni enjoys catching Improv shows in Chicago, playing soccer, and cultivating new TV show addictions.