The game, the myth and the legend that is Minecraft is about to turn 10, and it looks like it’s going to have a very special birthday celebration without its creator.
Minecraft‘s original creator, Markus ‘Notch’ Persson, has been a figure of controversy for a while now, and it’s been confirmed that he won’t have a role to play in Minecraft‘s birthday shindigs.
Speaking to Variety, a Microsoft spokesperson said: “[Persson’s] comments and opinions do not reflect those of Microsoft or Mojang and are not representative of Minecraft.”
Seems like Microsoft wants nothing to do with the original creator, and for good reason.
Persson is known for his controversial comments and statements, and he’s come under near-constant criticism for his outlandish social media posts.
In the past, he’s been criticised for using the word “feminist” as an insult and called a female game dev a “c*nt.” He’s also come under fire for ‘racist’ claims and has often been dubbed as a “Nazi sympathiser” – something he denies.
He’s also remembered for proudly promoting the hashtag: “#HeterosexualPrideDay.”
Persson sold Mojang to Microsoft almost half a decade ago now, and hasn’t had anything to do with its development since it’s sale back in 2014.
Last month, Mojang introduced a patch that removed the creator’s name, which could be seen in two of the game’s splash screen messages.
It seems that Mojang and Microsoft will stop at nothing to ensure that Persson is as distanced from Minecraft as possible.
At the time of writing, Persson has yet to comment on the controversy, but Minecraft players seem very happy with the way Microsoft is handling the whole thing.
Following the news of Persson’s name being removed from the game last month, one happy parent tweeted: “[It] was the news about Notch’s name being removed from the latest update.
“My kid comes up to me (while playing Minecraft on the iPad), and asks what I am reading. I show him the headline. His response… ‘Oh, good.’ Smart kid =)”
Do you think Microsoft is right to distance itself from the controversial Notch?
Featured Image Credit: Mojang