Minecraft Forums

So this is the future of Minecraft. The version of Minecraft that is designed to work across platforms seamlessly. That's what Windows 10 is all about, making everything use the same platform, whether the needs of the device are the same or not. You know, like the F-35; the plane that is supposed to be a stealthy replacement for the US armed forces, but can only carry a fraction of the equipment and remain stealthy. But hey, the parts are all common, right? So what has that got to do with the new Minecraft version? The parts have to be common for the thing to work; in other words: NO MODS WHATSOEVER. You'll notice that in all the Windows Vista-type hype that they have said little or NOTHING about the modding community. The future of Minecraft, as far as Microsoft is concerned, is a vanilla or nothing version.

Goodnight, sweet prince, and flights of paid-off angels sing thee to thy rest. That's you, Sacheverell.

Please. Anything that Microsoft says that does not involve "massive merchandising profits" is simply an explanation about what we aready know is possible (and so far that whole cloud thing has been one big sucker trap), not why they are doing it. For those of you NOT paying attention, the numbers based on the sales of pc copies are pitifully small compared to the profits made from merchandising and console/mobile sales. In fact, the only way Microsoft will make back its investment is to avoid game-related expenditures or updates to the game within this fiscal year (I believe their fiscal year ends in July), instead focusing almost exclusively on the merchandizing and console aspect. Instead of talking game-support, such as the forever-promised API, they're talking cross-platform function and compatibility. I think even the most ardent fanboy will realize that that's only going to come with the marginalization of modifications.

Minecraft will continue to be profitable, but not in a way that benefits the original community. In my opinion, the glory days are over, the scavengers have arrived, and the only thing they plan do is to feed on the corpse until nothing useable remains.

Notch acknowledges that Europe sucks and buys $70 million home in California. Because California doesn't suck? Erm... what on earth was he thinking? Will he become a US citizen? Now we'll be able to drive past his house and creep him out by putting little, tiny Lego endermen on his wall!

Ladies and gentlemen:

Some of you obviously haven't been paying complete attention to what has been going on.

First of all, that reference to the Phil Fish video was a red herring. Notch wasn't driven away by complaints about the EULA or the lack of an API, or because he was afraid of being a symbol. That's a stupid video, made by a person with entirely too much time on his hands, loaded with imagery crap. It's an outstanding metaphysical deception. Sometimes a duck is just a damned duck.

Notch began stepping back 2 years ago, probably more. Truthfully, it probably started with the acquisition of bukkit. Last year, long before ANY of this became news, he created a separate company to retain the intellectual rights to MInecraft, spending half the profit of last year to do it. He probably hasn't been involved in a Minecraft decision in a long time; although you could argue that he must have known something about the EULA, since it feeds right to the function of the company he created last year. The point is, this was always the end game for him; this was always the 5 year plan. Did it occur to you that most indies that manage to develop a successful product WANT to be bought out by a big company?

And yes, from a deal standpoint, 2.5 billion is a heck of a buyout, and yes, Microsoft is going to have to work hard to break even. And sooner or later, that's going to affect EVERYONE. It could even be that it turns out to be the worst acquisition ever made; but I doubt it. They'll make their money, because most of you idiots out there would rather have a product in your hand, a broken, a DLC dependent (or Steam dependent), unfinished game than wait patiently for companies to do it right. Because you choose to buy digitally, without a hard copy and documentation, you can be held for ransom digitally. What used to the Eurotrash model of game production has become the industry standard.

And as for Notch? He was just a guy. A really cool frood who knew where his towel was. And every once in a while, he liked to take a swipe at people with it. Don't you dare feel sorry for him. He got out at the top, after hitting an out-of-the-park home run, with the bases loaded. He wasn't driven away by angry mobs (although the sale to Microsoft probably is a zing to you idiots that hated on him personally for the EULA), it isn't a question of his sanity, and he didn't violate some philosophical trust or serve as a symbol of anything. He made his pile, and decided that it was enough.

The last I heard of him, he was laughing, getting into a gold plated taxi, heading out into the unknown.

I didn't post it as a point. However, in this case, Microsoft announced the purchase of Mojang, not of this second, "shadow corporation." A lot of authors copyright their material, but sell rights to publishers to print it. The question is this: does Notch still own the intellectual rights to the game (via the corporation formed for that point), or does Microsoft? And I think, looking at the date for the formation of the second corporation, a lot more is explained or is made clear than was previously. Now I'm not going say "go watch that video link Notch provided," but I will say don't believe a word of it in terms of Notch. He's a smart guy, and he's moved when he needed to. After reading a few things, and doing some more checking, I think that the whole thing has been planned for a long time, and frankly, I'm finding myself wondering if I should feel sorry for him after all. He wasn't chased away; he left laughing in a golden taxi-cab, and I admire the hell out of him for it.

But Microsoft? After the Windows 8 thing? Woof.

Here's something interesting that I found just recently:

"In 2013 ... Mojang’s profit was $128 million on net sales of $325 million in 2013. Actual profit from the Minecraft game was even higher because Mojang paid $129 million, by coincidence practically the same amount as Mojang’s annual profit, in licensing fees to a separate company which Mojang’s owner Markus Persson has set up to control intellectual rights to Minecraft."

source: http://blogs.wsj.com/digits/2014/09/10/game-makers-valuations-comparing-mojang-king-rovio-and-supercell/

Who says you can't take it with you? Alright, it's completely his money, and I hope that he enjoys every single kronor of it, but that's not exactly walking away or stepping back, is it? Anyone remember when he said he'd probably open source it after a while? Of course, like he stated in his farewell, "I’m aware this goes against a lot of what I’ve said in public."

So here's the question: who currently owns the spinoff corporation?

I think that Notch probably created something that quickly went far beyond his control or understanding. The important thing to realize is that Minecraft became a multi-generational game, and in the history of computer gaming, those are incredibly rare. I don't mean a game that hangs around so long it's played by your kids; I mean a game that you and your kids can sit down and play together. A game where you know exactly what your kids (or parents) are talking about, and can connect on a level elsewhere impossible. But Notch didn't just create a game; he created a culture of potential. Look at all the modders that were encouraged by the original EULA to do their own thing, but still contribute to a growing game, without ever being thought of as "hurting the brand." Notch didn't worry too much about it, because there was plenty to go around; maybe he should have.

You can't stay a laid back kind of guy when your product suddenly shoots the moon. Money changes everything, and for some reason, once the money starts coming in, people begin to worry more about that than they do about the culture that made the money possible. Promises get made and broken; people begin to move away from each other, and away from an ideal. Notch made no secret that he was stepping away from the Minecraft product to work on other things; I don't think anyone that understood why he needed to move on blames him for doing so. Unfortunately, when he stepped back, the culture that made the game so special went with him.

The new generation of Mojangstas, with their console and mobile deals, lawyers, accountants (and the ensuing threats), became more interested in control and money, and less worried about having fun, and making something that other people enjoyed. Maybe there was a little blame there, because you really shouldn't leave small children unattended; and Notch had left the building. The new EULA didn't just take a shot at those servers charging a fortune for items of nebulous value; it took a shot at every publically supported server everywhere. Nonetheless, You have only to read it to realize that Notch would never have written something like that. He certainly didn't deserve the hate, but nor does that count as an excuse. As CEO, he was certainly aware of it, and allowed it to continue. To run a company, you must be willing to be responsible for the actions of your employees. Notch never wanted to do that, and having made his pile, I can't blame him for wanting to get way from it.

So now, Microsoft, a giant with a counter-indy culture, if ever there was one, will take over. A company that, despite feedback, continued to produce the God-awful and unfinished windows 8, then 8.1 to fix Windows 8, and now I even hear rumors of a Windows 8.2 to fix 8.1, followed by a return to sanity with a windows 9 version. Yes, if you want to buy everyone off, they are one of the few companies that has the money to do it. I think in some ways, the sale to Microsoft is a shot back at the community for the fury expressed over the new EULA, and the griping about the promised, but never manifest, API.

Are we all going to leave and play other games? No. We have time, money, and people invested in the game, and that isn't going to change quickly. No, we'll slip off to other things a few at a time, like many of the modders have over the last several incarnations. A lot of good people are going to leave slowly, and I don't see their replacements coming along. Microsoft isn't going to do anything to change that; I would be surprised if they put much effort into the game at all, except to scoop up what sales they can for their various platforms. I don't think any gaming franchise has ever really benefitted by being bought out by Microsoft.

But hey, when you're done reading a book, you close the cover, right? Hopefully, you remember the story for along time afterwards, but there are other books to read.

Thanks for the story, Notch.

I don't see enough information to determine the truth of this yet, however, I can tell you that the last couple of years have seen a lot more people get involved in different aspects of the game. Okay, I'm about to go off on a tangent, but it has a purpose...

One of the aspects that has attracted some rather unqualified participation has been the EULA. Most of you probably realize by now that the EULA simply cannot be enforced in many jurisdictions. I think all of us agree that Mojang has the right to keep their code from being modified, and to some extent, to control their brand, but there are limits. For example, let's say I paint a picture of a train, and it's a good painting. Let's say I was standing on my own property when I made it. I can take that painting and sell it for money, without paying the owner of the train anything. That's the law here, because I am not selling the train (or any logos, or modifying anything in any way) I am selling a painting - a representation of it. I can even copyright that painting so that others cannot use it without my permission, including the owner of the train. Server owners are not selling the game; they are selling a way of playing it - a representation. Mojang has absolutely no right to tell you how to play your game, on your server, and that's what this last EULA release tried to do.

Speaking of which:

It wouldn't surprise me at all if the rumor was true, because it would be a good move for Microsoft, particularly given their console issues. Microsoft would take one look at the current EULA (and the original one) and throw them both out, recognizing that they are crap, would never stand up in a court of law, and should have been done correctly from the start. A Microsoft EULA will be three pages long, designed by people who are actually lawyers, and would probably finish off mcp and the modding community for good. The attitude at Mojang has been moving in a Microsoft direction for some time now, ever since the console money started coming in. So, while unfortunate, the rumors could certainly be true.

How can you tell when the end of a great game is near? The lawyers get involved.

I can haz API now? No?

Two years.... and ftzzzz. Nada. Oh well, thanks for the doors, and the ugliest rabbits and glitchiest horses in creation. And Jello (tm).

Actually, I think many people said they'd never get an API out in this version. They were right, of course. The bukkit crew didn't quit; instead, a few were suborned by the Empire, and those few traded bukkit to Mojang in exchange for employment. Some bukkit developers apparently didn't get the memo, and only recently discovered that bukkit ceased to be independent some time ago. The force-outs have begun. Go read their forums.

I said 2 years ago that in order to have a functional API, virtually everything would have to be organized through a single acquisition point: Mojang itself. There is a cost involved, and that's the loss many of the mod developers. You could argue that centralization is one reason for changes to the EULA, and one reason behind the takeover of bukkit. It's the reason you have a licensing agreement text file located on your server, and the reason why bukkit does not support "offline" servers. Try asking on the bukkit forums why craftbukkit is spamming your log with INFO or WARN in offline mode, and see how fast your thread gets locked and you get a warning, despite the fact that running in offline mode is a valid way around those times when Mojang has issues. It's all about control of brand, and that has everything to do with the success of console sales, and the potential for platform integration. Remember back when Notch said he'd probably run it for a few years, and then might release the game core code to the public? That will never happen now; there's too much money involved.

I'm not giving up on the game, but the behavior of the crew that has taken over production at Mojang makes me feel like I need to wash my hands.

Developers are responsible for keeping their promises. My clan has put a simply staggering amount of time and money into supporting this game, promoting this game, and all the mods we use for this game. We did that with the assurance that some issues were going to be addressed. They haven't been. When someone doesn't keep their promises, it's up to the consumers to whine and complain and badger and do whatever else is necessary to let the developer know that we do not approve. When you release a product to the market, you are responsible for supporting that product; whether you like it or not. And when someone pays for that product, they have a right to complain, whether you like it or not.

If you don't understand that, I would suggest either paying more attention to your middle school classes, or enrolling in adult education courses; whichever is most appropriate.

If you enjoy the single player aspect of this game, hey, that's great. But the future is, and has been SMP, and for a long time, MODDED SMP.

About 2 years ago, in this very forum, a promise was made regarding mod API. It was followed up by an interview in which one of the Mojang employees stated what the capabilities of the API would be. That was followed up by an announcement that Mojang was accepting recommendations from modders about what the capabilities of the API should be. After that came a post that the promise about the API had never been made, and the awareness that the API had not even been started, so stating what capabilities it would have was really pretty silly.

For those of you who do not understand the significance of an API, let me just say that it enables mods to work with Minecraft. Most mods these days rely on an API of some sort to work. There are, naturally, some exceptions; mostly those that change how the game performs, but that do not add content (such as Optifine). The significance of this is that virtually every major mod that adds content to Minecraft is stuck on 1.7.2. Furthermore, as I've said in the past, rumors coming out of the Forge team and others indicate that unless an API work-around is supported, 1.7+ might be the last mod-able version of Minecraft.

The Minecraft modding community is huge. By the last poll I saw, those who have experimented with mods far outnumber those who have not. Unless an API is implemented, or the existing API programmers are properly supported, that will end. It is the single most significant step that should be taken in Minecraft today, and STILL has not been done.

So when 1.8 comes around, and everyone is griping about how there are no mods for it, and why hasn't their favorite mod updated, you can take consolation from the fact that at least you'll have sticky blocks, colored windows, and horses.

Slime blocks. Really? Two years without the promised mod API, and the best thing you guys have accomplished is improved map terrain and Slime blocks. These updates/releases, and everything else coming out of Mojang right now are less than useless to the modding/server community. Focus on the Minecraft MP core, and get the damned API finished. If you can't, stop jerking around the people who can, like Forge (an actual damned working API that's stuck at 1.7.2 due to lack of support and lack of direction from Mojang).

I mean seriously, Minecraft is Mojang's bread and butter, because they will likely never release another game as popular; certainly not Cobalt, and certainly not Scrolls. Get some talent in there, and stop treating the game like it's a distraction.

Or is part of your 10 year plan to sell out to someone else before 10 years have elapsed?

How about this for a stubborn rumor:

The word we are getting from some of the Forge crew (and others) is that 1.8 may not be able to be modded for Forge. If Forge can't do it (and they've been stuck at 1.72 for a good long time now), the mods requiring Forge will fail, and it is likely that those authors will not have the ability to compensate for the loss. Already, a number of good, solid mods have gone un-updated due to lack of support. Where the hell is the promised API support? Two years, and we are still not there, while other, un-needed and simply additions are made. Is 1.8 going to be the ENDGAME for modded servers? Many of us have been playing Minecraft so long that the community mods are the only things that keeps it fresh. Are we going to lose half of the community over this?

I sure hope not.

We can haz endermites? We can not haz doors with skins that hinge the right way? -.-