When Microsoft acquired Minecraft for $2.5 billion in 2014, the company saw huge potential.
What they didn’t see–yet–were the controversial tweets that were to come from Markus Persson, known as Notch, a conspiracy theorist, and the founder of Minecraft developer Mojang. While Persson left the company after the deal was completed, his tweets have continued to offend, and divide, fans of the popular game he created.
Persson is a polarizing figure on Twitter, and is no stranger to controversy. He has tweeted transphobic comments on several occasions, comments about being white, and has subscribed to the Pizzagate and QAnon conspiracy theories.
Microsoft appears to be placing more distance between the company and Persson by removing all “Made by Notch” or “The Work of Notch” mentions that would previously greet players as they booted up the game. While Persson has been removed from the splash screens, gaming website Kotaku noted that he is still listed in the game’s credits.
A tweet from a player showed a screenshot of the Minecraft update notes, which confirm that all mentions of Persson (and Notch) were removed from the opening credits. That image was tweeted alongside a photo that said: “The evil is defeated.”
Persson acknowledged the tweet and replied: “It sure is.”
https://twitter.com/notch/status/1111040012244533248
Microsoft declined Fortune’s request for comment.
Microsoft acquired Mojang, the developer of Minecraft, for $2.5 billion in 2014. Persson left the company after the acquisition was completed. While Persson’s tweets have gotten him into trouble, a single tweet in 2014 may have gotten Microsoft’s attention.
Anyone want to buy my share of Mojang so I can move on with my life? Getting hate for trying to do the right thing is not my gig.
— notch (@notch) June 17, 2014
“Anyone want to buy my share of Mojang so I can move on with my life?” he asked. Microsoft purchased Mojang a day shy of three months later.
