Microsoft distances itself from Minecraft creator

Minecraft creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson isn’t part of Microsoft’s plans to mark the game’s 10-year anniversary next month.

Development studio Mojang will celebrate the game’s past and reveal plans for its future during an event in Stockholm on May 17.

But a spokesperson for owner Microsoft told Variety that Persson has been excluded from its plans following a series of bigoted remarks made on Twitter, where he has millions of followers.

“His comments and opinions do not reflect those of Microsoft or Mojang and are not representative of Minecraft,” they said.

Persson hasn’t been involved with Minecraft since selling Mojang and the game’s intellectual property rights to Microsoft for $2.5 billion in 2014, the spokesperson added.

The co-founder has increasingly ostracised himself with his remarks on social media, including transphobic statements and calls for a “heterosexual pride day”.

Last month Microsoft removed references to Persson from Minecraft’s splash screens.

Minecraft is the bestselling PC game of all time with over 30 million sales on the platform, according to Microsoft.

The company says the game has sold over 154 million copies across all platforms and has 91 million monthly active users.

Earlier this month, Mojang announced a March 4, 2022 release date for the live-action Minecraft movie.