Fellow developer Cliff Bleszinski, who created the “Gears of War” franchise before leaving Epic Games in 2012, advised Notch against talking poorly about his creation. Bleszinski bluntly tweeted, “It’s pretty s***y for you to talk shit like that about the company that bought your freedom. It’d be like me being like ‘GEARZ IS TRASH NOW’ no I want to see my baby do well.” Bleszinski also noted that Microsoft has done well managing the “Minecraft” IP.
Most commenters took the opportunity to reply by recalling Notch’s past transgressions, mainly derogatory comments he’s made about the LGBTQ+ community. Still, many gamers follow Notch, despite his continued insistence on commenting on politics, gender, and other touchy topics. Famously, Microsoft scrubbed “Minecraft” of all mentions of its creator, wanting to separate the wildly popular title from the controversial claims Notch made in his private life. Now, there may be many fans that don’t even know Notch created their favorite game.
Now, gamers know that although the Mojang team had reservations about working with Microsoft, the PC giant took a great deal of care when handling the famous indie game. Even with Microsoft’s guidance, the fan community is the real driving force behind the success of “Minecraft.” Modders have made a staggering amount of money through “Minecraft,” and streamers like Dream keep the game on the lips of every streaming fan.
