Minecraft earned $350,000 in a single day

by Griffin McElroy on Sep 28th 2010 6:30PM

As it turns out, the server troubles experienced by Minecraft last week -- which led to an impromptu free-to-play weekend -- might have served as a perfect marketing technique for the indie world-building title. When combined with exposure from Penny Arcade, this free weekend apparently served to make its players hungry for a legit version of the game. According to a Minecraft sales-tracking site, the game was purchased 25,936 times within the 24-hour period after it came back online last Wednesday, netting its creator, Markus Persson, somewhere in the neighborhood of $350,000.

The game's sales dropped off a bit since the servers' revival, but have remained significantly higher than before the free-to-play weekend. That's a whole, whole lot of money -- but nothing compared to the paychecks the game's players have lost due to sinking entire lifetimes into their DIY projects. We just want to redo our palace's marble floors, finish the diamond tower and dam up this lake, and then we're done. We mean it this time!

Source: m00d.net

Tags: indie, markus-persson, Minecraft, pc, sales

Reader Comments (49)

I bought it, and it has to be one my favorite ways to kill time now while I'm not doing other things, like playing other games.

@Fromps
How much does it cost?
£/$

@MrVee PSN Vampah

10 Euros. But it uses paypal and that converts to your local currency.

@Fromps
I don't get, I really don't. I mean, it's just building stuff right? Kinda like lego but on a computer?
If you (a general "you", not Fromps) have this fountain of creativity and the time to "waste time" building stuff in Minecraft, then why not learn something a bit more productive maybe, like painting, or designing, or even playing a guitar - the ladies love that ;)

Am I missing something? Like a story, or gameplay?

@2late2die
This is not a knock against the game, I think the fact that this guy is making money on something that even a small time publisher wouldn't look twice at, is awesome. Just trying to understand the appeal.

@2late2die

Basically. It's purely sandbox, there is no story, the enemies can really really do damage (since your max-health never increases), and there is no ending.

It's getting better all the time though, so the game you played a few months ago isn't the same one out today, which won't be the same one out this Christmas. He's always adding things and making it better and better.

Remember playing with Legos as a kid and how fun it was? Now imagine that with multiplayer and people 100x more dedicated than you could even imagine!

@2late2die

It's more of a survival and exploring game than just building. You need to build shelter and keep yourself safe because at night because zombies, skeletons, spiders, etc. come out at night.

Watch this, it's a tutorial series and it tells you a lot about the game. There's about 12 parts to it right now. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0VWnQHS-ffs

Also, the whole "do something productive instead of playing a video game" is a really old, idiotic topic.

@Fromps
It's basically up to you what to do next and it can be literally anything (let's go check out that mountain I saw on the other side of the bay! / Maybe I could divert the river down into this cave!), and the imperative to survive and keep working on whatever springs to mind. Gives it a very odd quality which is hard to resist.

P.S. It's also an awesome excuse to listen to music for an extended period of time

@2late2die
The first time you discover a massive cave, light a torch and find the walls are full of gold and diamonds and a giant underground waterfal in the middle. You'll understand.

@2late2die Ever notice how the guys that bring up the "do something more productive" argument are always so concerned about the methods of picking up girls? It's almost like they're trying to compensate for something, hmmm....

@sonicspike41, @TraceurRyuk Prepping for LBP2, @Haggard, @w1n5t0n
That sounds mighty interesting actually, I'll check out those videos.

Re: "You suck 'cause you said games are not productive".

Guys, I'm a gamer just like you, heck with Civ V out I've been "wasting" double/triple time the usual. This wasn't a general statement on games, just this one in particular because (not knowing much about it, granted, hence the curiosity, if with a bit of a backhanded insult, for which I apologize) it seemed like a "time waster" style of a game (i.e. those small silly ones that you play for 3 minutes) except that instead of minutes you're wasting hours and paying money to boot.
In any case all the, downranking just tell me I hit a nerve. :)

@wcarnation Well yeah I'm concerned with picking up girls, 'cause you know, they're all nice and made of sugar and spice.
And that "guitar" comment was a joke.

I'm proud to be one of those purchases. Minecraft is a great OH SHIT A CREEPER

@quiggy

ssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssssss

@TendoMan - BANG

*tear for diamond weapons and armor*

I'm pretty sure that had something to do with this:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LnjSWPxJxNs

@Nero6

This is better, but.. I'm a nerd.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kn2-d5a3r94

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eTjyhggH2Pk

@Nero6 I think this one wins

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LGkkyKZVzug

I didn't understand it when I was playing the Browser Based game (Version 0.30) they had but when I bought the actual Alpha It was completely different and awesome.

@TaintedKane

It's so much different. There's... Actually stuff to do

I'm glad to see that their successful. Soon, I'll be able to buy it also.

http://i2.photobucket.com/albums/y18/shytennischick/Just%20stuff/DAMMMM.jpg

inb4 autism troll comes in

God I love Minecraft.

I say it every day, Game of the Year, and it's still in Alpha.

@Ezio Auditore da Firenze

It really is an amazing game. It just reinforces my opinion that great graphics don't make a fun game. I discovered it thanks to the Joystiq Podcast :)

I can't wait until they start shelling out more features though, I want fishing so bad.

I'm not surprised. A lot of gaming press was talking about this game.

Now we need the updates faster :P

Higher resolution support! SMP fully or at least 70% working(dmg system atleast)!

Anyone know how I can get the game to not crash during TNT explosions? I built an enormous tower of TNT, and then filled an entire huge cavern under it, and it crashes every time no matter how far away I am. On youtube, people crash their games, and then they come back and there is a huge hole. When I come back, it's like nothing ever happened.

Anyone know the secret?

/addict

@BananaBoat

It's built in Java, so it's not as fast as C-based languages. I notice TNT can really really slow the game down to a crawl sometimes.

For fun: TNT "floats" until hit, then it acts like sand and falls (assuming there is nothing below it). It doesn't seem to explode until it's on/near a solid surface either. This means you could build a small wall of cobblestone with a 1 square-wide hole straight done one side. Line it with TNT then hit them one by one and watch them all blow a tunnel for you.

I did just that, but had too many below the one I hit and blew up my entire house/apartment thing. (Each level 4 blocks high, reaching to the max height, with stairs and a new room at each level).

@sonicspike41 - I used like 10,000 blocks. The game freezes instantly unfortunately.

The most fun I've had with TNT is digging to bedrock straight down, then filling the hole with TNT. You repeat that in a pattern (I did a square), then you wire them together with redstone dust. When you hit it, you are left with either an enormous crater (if they are close enough together), or four separate craters. If you are lucky, you'll see the blue nothingness that exists below the game world (which you can then jump in, but it will kill you).

If only I could figure out how to make this big s'plosion work without crashing the game...

@BananaBoat

3,000 is the limit :/

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Hpvv3iM91ec

@BananaBoat

Sheesh, 10,000? No wonder. Most I've used was like 100-200 or so, and even that made a huge hole.

@sonicspike41 - Yeah, I filled a huge underground cave, and then made like a 50x30 solid rectangle of TNT blocks as high as the game would allow right on top of it. I didn't count, so my number is completely a guess, but I was at it for hours obsessively, filling every single crack with TNT.

I think my mistake was linking the underground blast with the one on the surface. When it goes off, it's like the entire continent disappears, and then the screen goes black.

Oh well, I'll try again when the code is more stable/svelte.

Until then....I shall build my castle. Probably on a server this time instead of doing it solo.

sounds like some wallets got......

MINECRAFTED!

There has been a mass of videos on youtube over the past week which has made me interested in this. I had played the browser version a long time ago and it had nothing really to do. Now it does.

Also it is a great argument that great graphics are not needed to ahve a good game.

Can some explain to me what this game is? I honestly don't get it at all.

@kives343 it's like a lego sandbox mixed with a zombie survival game mixed with an exporation game.

Sounds different

$350,000 I should've learned how to program video games..... ugh. Stupid broadcasting degree! *burns it*

ahem, $350,000.. period... !

That's a lot of cash. Still haven't contributed; have too many other games to play.

Well a friend in my programming class insisted I play the free version rather than actual work in the class, then I decided to by the game after the free weekend and haven't done any english homework since. I think I have a MINER addiction. ;D

No noes piracy!

Holy bajesuz. Penny Arcade is the Oprah book club of the video game industry.

@EvoHelix
never saw it that way before... but yep, that's pretty true for me. Tycho = Oprah. I hope he gives out free cars some day.

@EvoHelix
This guy already made about $2.5 million before Penny Arcade even mentioned it.

@Brockobama123
He's made about $3 million to date.

He earned as much as the Australian Prime Minister earns in a year, in a single day.

Nice but it is just cube2 with a different block placing system, i'm still picking it up at some point.

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Minecraft

Minecraft earned $350,000 in a single day

Reader Comments (49)

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:33PM Fromps said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:51PM MrVee PSN Vampah said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 7:01PM TraceurRyuk Prepping for LBP2 said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 7:19PM 2late2die said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 7:21PM 2late2die said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 7:32PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 7:37PM TraceurRyuk Prepping for LBP2 said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 8:05PM Haggard said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 11:43PM w1n5t0n said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 11:51PM wcarnation said

Posted: Sep 29th 2010 7:06AM 2late2die said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:33PM quiggy said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:54PM TendoMan said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 7:27PM BananaBoat said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:34PM Nero6 said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:50PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:53PM jackolo said

Posted: Sep 29th 2010 1:23AM Sinkwater said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:36PM TaintedKane said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 7:04PM TraceurRyuk Prepping for LBP2 said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:37PM Ejsponge61 said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:39PM MrVee PSN Vampah said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:48PM (Unverified) said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:48PM Ezio Auditore da Firenze said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 7:06PM TraceurRyuk Prepping for LBP2 said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:51PM Lerkero said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:54PM jackolo said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 6:57PM BananaBoat said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 7:29PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 7:41PM BananaBoat said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 7:53PM jackolo said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 8:20PM sonicspike41 said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 10:36PM BananaBoat said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 7:31PM Nook said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 7:33PM mrmobius said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 7:51PM kives343 said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 8:06PM gonintendo said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 9:36PM kives343 said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 8:26PM GuardianLegend said

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Posted: Sep 28th 2010 8:49PM ch3burashka said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 9:22PM Smugleaf said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 9:26PM RKN said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 10:08PM EvoHelix said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 10:25PM GuardianLegend said

Posted: Sep 28th 2010 11:39PM twocows said

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Posted: Sep 28th 2010 11:45PM delicatessen lama said

Posted: Sep 29th 2010 2:47AM kooda said

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