I was going to do another game review, but “news” reared its ugly head and has forced me to expunge the opinions from my head to be displayed for all of the internets to misinterpret. Prepare yourself!

I'm not gonna lie, I've spent more than a few hours stacking cubes.

Since it’s been trending all over Facebook and Twitter for the last day or so, it should be no shock to even the casual gamer that Microsoft has indeed purchased Minecraft developer, Mojang for $2.5bn. As I write this, I have a few different opinions on the matter.

I could do a big rant about how Microsoft is likely to ruin the franchise, since they’ve been dropping old IPs all over the place and replacing them with very few first-party properties. Other than Halo, I can’t really think of much else that Microsoft clings to as truly their own. Which would explain why both Nintendo and Sony are beating them in console sales. Plus, with the nearly defunct Games for Windows Live, there hasn’t been much love for Microsoft from the gaming community as of late.

But I won’t, because I have plans for a Microsoft rant at a later date. I already have plenty of beef with them, and I know I’m not alone.

Even a certain developer named “Notch” had this to say just 2 years ago:

 

This man deserves a medal for heroically standing up against Microsoft's tyranny.

I could also tear apart Notch’s character, and say that it really is about the money. How could he sell to a company he readily bashed less than 24 months ago? If Minecraft was never meant to be “big,” why did he enter the console market in the first place? Why not just stick to the PC platform if he is so concerned for its well-being?

But I’m not going to do that, either.

I don’t know the guy, and I can’t possibly imagine what it’s like to be thrust into the spotlight of not only the industry in which I am employed, but also that which is related to business and economics as well. The average person can’t even count to 2.5 billion. So for all intents and purposes, I will give him the benefit of the doubt, and direct my reply to the letter he wrote yesterday:

Please, don't let Phil Fish be the catalyst for self-destruction. I couldn't handle the irony.

Dear Notch,

How you see yourself at this point is irrelevant in regards to Minecraft. You are responsible for one of the highest selling games of all time. You didn’t have to try to change the world, you just did. Own it. You can run far, far away from Mojang and you will be forever known as “the guy who created Minecraft.” It’s bigger than you as a human being. You’re right, you’ve become a symbol. But that symbol doesn’t define you, it defines what you represent to the gaming community, as a founder to an era of gaming we never knew was coming. Its your avatar, so to speak. It’s how you’ve been projected to the world. Once it’s out there, there’s no putting it back. Let us keep the symbol.

At the same time, there’s nothing stopping you from being the man you want to be. As an individual, you are capable of anything. Literally anything. You have the resources and the money. Want to build a spaceship? Go ahead. Live in a subterranean complex like Mole Man? Why not? You can do ANYTHING. Look at Bill Gates. Look at Elon Musk. Look at Gabe Newell for fuck sakes, and tell me an opinionated basement geek can’t do whatever the fuck he wants once he’s made it big.

In Gaben we trust.

Just remember, while you may define yourself as a quiet, introverted, “not real” game developer… Minecraft will always be your legacy. You have indeed changed the world of gaming forever. There’s no going back. You can run from it, but you can’t hide from it. Legitimate governments have reconstructed countries with your achievement. Microsoft may own the paperwork, but it’s already been made regardless of whose name is on the door. It’s yours forever. Your own name has become a brand. While it may have evolved outside of your desires and expectations, never forget that it’s an achievement beyond the hopes and dreams of many others. Never be ashamed or afraid of that. You’ll be fine, and your memory will be a significant mark on the timeline of gaming history for the better.

What happens to Minecraft now is up to Microsoft, but what happens to Notch is up to you. If you don’t want the spotlight on you anymore, there is absolutely nothing wrong with that. Like I said, you have the freedom to do anything you can imagine. Just remember: always look back at Minecraft as a victory and not a hill you couldn’t conquer. Even if I never play another minute of it again (which I may not, because well… Microsoft), I will look back fondly at the origins of Minecraft as a boon to the ever evolving art form of which I am proud to offer my comparatively meager contribution.

/gameon

Because, creepers.