[Minecraft] Yes, we're being bought by Microsoft $2B

[LulzSect]

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=8318506

Though I never got into the game, I always enjoyed reading/hearing about it, the music, watching others creations, etc. The story also got me thinking, shit what do I have to show for the last 4 years of my life? :p

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Am3An-iuzYY

Cheers to you Notch. Inspirational.

[Azure]

I think we are loosing focus on the big picture here. The big picture is that almost all works of art or creativity eventually get gobbled up and perpetually controlled by institutions who have more power and rights than people. There is no check or balance against this and it's getting worse by the decade.

People who create have an individual responsibility to ensure that their ability and the ability of their peers to create openly and freely is not hindered.

Did Mojang really have to sell? No. Are they free to sell yes. Is it in a moral grey area. Sort of. But almost no one stands their ground against this oppressive force in the markets that creates a monopolization of all distribution and all ideas.

Microsoft is definately not the worst company to purchase mojang. But I'm not particularly excited. However it's possible they will integrate minecraft into a new MMO or simply use Mojangs IP in patent and software IP legality against the other indie developers out there.

Simply, Microsoft just aqcuired a bigger stockpile of ammunition. This isn't change. This is the same old same old.

just my 2cp, YMMV, do I think Mojang or notch were evil? Naw

Do I think Notch was a bad programmer from the start and sold out from the start, yaw.

Do I think minecraft was/is a great game, yeah.

But I rather think that Minecraft is going to go the way of EQ post luclin or even pop + or just be used to troll other companies. No it will surely be wielded as a weapon against indy developers. Big companies like Sony have nothing to fear, but this is yet more market control.

[Azure]

It is way better than Activision or EA getting minecraft though. Microsoft did do a good job publishing Asherons call and Turbine went on to continue to do great things for a time.

[katrik]

Why do people start businesses..? People rarely make something just for fun. Very good for him.

[Azure]

Why do people start businesses..? People rarely make something just for fun. Very good for him.

I'm not accusing notch of doing anything wrong. I'm just illustrating the obvious flaws in the system. Notch didn't have to sell out to Microsoft and the market doesn't have to be controlled by large publishers.

I don't think people will head any of this though when they bitch about the monopolization of Minecraft into some corporate glutton, in the next few decades.

And Notch will be long forgotten.

People who start and run business usually have an idealized point of view regarding the building of something and the realization of some kind of empire. Pity for Mojang. Pity for the world.

Microsoft is as corrupt and owned and shilled as it gets.

[Swish]

Wouldn't it be funny if SOE offered to buy up Project 1999?

Right guys?

[Swish]

It is way better than Activision or EA getting minecraft though. Microsoft did do a good job publishing Asherons call and Turbine went on to continue to do great things for a time.

Never give anything to EA and expect it to work without tons of cash shop/DLC shit.

[Azure]

Wouldn't it be funny if SOE offered to buy up Project 1999?

Right guys?

TBH it would be the best thing for this community and the red server!

[Azure]

Hope and change, friggin good.

Homemade burrito's > taco bell.

[Swish]

TBH it would be the best thing for this community and the red server!

I'm offended.

[Azure]

They could make Pumice stones purchasable in the SOE market place!

[Azure]

We need someone creative to write a prophetic vision(TM) for microsofts Microminecraft v2.0

[Swish]

They could make Pumice stones purchasable in the SOE market place!

o lawd! :(

[Azure]

Or better yet, lets get some Notch + Ballmer slash fiction lol hahahahahahaha

[Azure]

True Love by Fate

It was a dark and stormy night. An unnatural haze lingered over Zion. In his bed, Notch shivered. For a summer night, the air was cold and the sky was black. It was almost as if something evil lurked out there in the shadows.

Notch rolled over, clutching his pillow, and tried to fall back asleep. But a worry nagged in the back of his mind. Something was not right. No matter how he tried, some ghostly force prevented him from sleeping. It made him uneasy. With a sigh, he rolled out of bed, pulled on his Tutu, and poured himself a cup of water from the pitcher on his nightstand. Quietly, he left his room.

The halls were silent as he walked in the dark. He did not know where he was going, or why, but his body seemed to move on its own accord. He was being drawn by an unseen power. Past his father's bedroom, past the dining hall, past the Mancave, and out onto the terrace. With the moon hidden behind thick clouds, it was nearly impossible to see in the inky black night. But something lying on the path to Notch's right made him gasp in shock. A body!

'Ermagurd!!' Notch shouted. He leapt over the terrace railing and onto the ground below, running toward the fallen form as fast as he could. Tree branches scratched at his skin and pulled at his clothes, but he paid them no mind. Heart pounding, he fell to his knees on the pathway and placed a gentle hand on the figure's Prostate.

Now that he was closer, he could see that this was a young Mongoloid Princess of Jeruselum, a Chairlord by the looks of him, who appeared to be no more than 3 years old. But he was in dire need of help. His clothes were torn and bloody, and his hair was matted with Hollindase Sauce. He needed the attention of a healer, immediately. Without a second thought, Notch picked up the wounded Chairlord and, cradling him in his arms, carried him inside to seek the help that was so desperately needed.

*****

'His situation is severe,' Senator Palpatine said in a worried voice. 'Whether or not he will live until morning is beyond my sight. My team of healers will do the best they can, but...' his voice trailed off.

Notch could sense his fear. There was a good chance the young Mongoloid Princess might die. 'Is there anything I can do to help?' he asked.

Senator Palpatine sadly shook his head. 'Nothing the healers are not already trying. But it might help if you just sat with him. He will need to see a friendly face when he wakes up from this ordeal, and you are the closest thing he has right now.'

'I understand,' said Notch. 'And I will stay with him for as long as it takes. I will not let him die.'

With that, Notch turned and hurried to the room where the wounded Chairlord was being housed. He was surrounded by healers, all of whom wore the same concerned expression. They had washed his body and dressed his wounds with healing salve, but still the Mongoloid Princess showed no signs of improvement. His breathing was shallow, and his pulse was weak. One of the healers turned to Notch with a defeated sigh.

'It will be an uphill battle,' she said. 'We have done all we can at this time. Now, we can only wait and see if he wakes.'

Notch nodded resolutely. 'I will stay with him through the night and keep watch as he sleeps.'

One by one, the healers left the bedside, the last one closing the door behind her. In the flickering candle light, Notch dipped a square of cloth in the bowl of warm water left by the healers, and gently used it to stroke the injured Mongoloid Princess's Scrotum. Then, taking up the Chairlord's limp hand, he settled into his bedside chair and prepared to wait through the remainder of the long, cold night.

*****

'Where... where am I?'

Notch jerked awake with a start when he heard the words being spoken. He stared down at his patient, an immense wave of relief coursing through his body. The Mongoloid Princess was alive! And from the looks of things, he was on his way to making a full recovery.

'You are in Zion,' Notch told him. 'I found you last night, lying unconscious and nearly dead on a path coming from the forest. I carried you inside, and my father's healers tended to your wounds. Please, tell me your name and how you came to be here.'

'My name is Mr. Ballmer,' said the Mongoloid Princess. 'I come from Jeruselum. I was on an errand from my father, to deliver an important message to Dinnerbone in Mother Russia. But last night... All I remember is that I was riding through the forest when suddenly I was attacked by a group of Stallmans. At least 7 surrounded me. I tried to escape, but there were so many, and I had only my Spork for protection. And that is the last thing I recall. I do not know how I came to be here, or why I am not dead.'

Notch smiled at him. 'The stars must shine favourably on you. To live through such an ordeal... that is more than mere luck.' It was more than luck, too, that Mr. Ballmer had wound up in Zion and Notch had found him. Now that they two were together, it felt almost like fate had lent a hand. Mr. Ballmer was meant to be here, and Notch was meant to have found him. Why, Notch did not know. But it felt so certain.

It also did not hurt that Mr. Ballmer was one of the most beautiful individuals Notch had ever seen. His sleek Red hair contrasted with large, dark Indigo eyes set in a lovely face. And his sculpted body, half-hidden by the bed linens, was a further attraction. Notch could hardly suppress his desire to run his hands over that soft hair and perfect body. But he kept his feelings under control. Mr. Ballmer had just barely survived a nearly fatal encounter. Now was not the time for romance.

*****

Within three days, Mr. Ballmer had improved enough to leave his bed. Senator Palpatine gave him a new set of clothes, and he was able to wander the corridors and gardens by himself. But the one thing that troubled him was Notch's absence. Since the morning when he'd first awoken in Zion, he had not seen Notch at all. It was as if his rescuer had simply disappeared. He had asked Senator Palpatine where his son could be, but Senator Palpatine had no answer. Notch was gone without a trace.

Mr. Ballmer desired to speak with Notch again, and properly thank him for saving his life. But he also just wanted to see the handsome Faggot once more. He could not explain it, but he felt a deep connection to Notch, either forged by the lifesaving bond or some other power. He knew that Notch was someone special. Someone he had to see again.

It wasn't until the sixth day after Mr. Ballmer had recovered that Notch returned to Zion. He rode up the same path where Mr. Ballmer had been found, dragging a net filled with the heads of Stallmans behind him. All 7 of them.

'Here are your Stallmans!' he called to Mr. Ballmer. 'I found them hiding out in a cave not far from here.'

Mr. Ballmer stared in surprise, eyes going wide. 'You killed... all of them by yourself?'

'I cannot let such dangerous creatures roam free in our lands,' Notch replied. 'And I did it for you. They nearly killed you. I do not want anything like that to happen again.'

Mr. Ballmer could feel his heart pounding as Notch spoke. Notch killed those Stallmans... for him. Before he could stop himself, he leapt at Notch and threw his arms around his neck, kissing the brave Faggot on the Foreskin.

Notch laughed in surprise, but did not pull away. 'What was that for?'

'Just a thank you,' Mr. Ballmer said. He smiled, but when he saw the suddenly serious look in Notch's eyes, the smile faded. 'What is wrong?' he asked, worried.

'Mr. Ballmer,' said Notch, 'I have to confess something to you. That first morning you were here... I thought you were so beautiful. I wanted to kiss you then, but I did not know how you would react.

Mr. Ballmer gasped in shock. 'Kiss... me?'

'I told myself I must not, because of the terrible ordeal you had just suffered. It was not the right time. But these past few days while I was gone, I could think only of you the entire time. And now...'

'Notch...' Mr. Ballmer sighed his name. 'I thought about you too. All the time, while you were gone. I was worried I would never see you again.'

Notch lifted his hand to gently stroke Mr. Ballmer on the cheek. 'I am sorry I ran off like that. I should have said something to you.'

Taking a deep breath, Mr. Ballmer said, 'Notch, there is something I have been considering over the past several days. I think we were meant to find each other. What happened to me... it was no accident of fate. I was meant to come here. You were meant to rescue me.'

A bright smile broke across Notch's face as soon as Mr. Ballmer had spoken. 'You know,' he said, 'I had been thinking the same thing! That night when I found you I had been worried an unable to think. Some strange power led me out to the terrace, and that was when I saw you.'

Mr. Ballmer took Notch's hand. 'So you think... we are meant to be together?'

'I have no doubt of it.' Slowly, Notch leaned in and kissed Mr. Ballmer softly on the lips. 'I love you,' he whispered.

'I love you too, Notch,' Mr. Ballmer whispered in return.

THE END!




Back to Foolery

[LulzSect]

This thread is a lot better once you utilize the ignore feature.

[Azure]

This thread is a lot better once you utilize the ignore feature.

you're a faggot and everyone knows it

[Thulack]

Lulz is now just trying to get another "JLaw" thread. Nothing how he typed out the title. Trying for the google hits is sad.

[Thulack]

Lulz is now just trying to get another "JLaw" thread. Notice how he typed out the title. Trying for the google hits is sad.

fixed it.

[Grimjaw]

It's a battle for customers by expanding beyond the company's typical, core business.

[Haynar]

2.5 bln. Can you imagine?

Hope they are beyond the old business model, that would make minecraft into a windows phone/xbox exclusive.

H

[Azure]

Last nerdgasming rage post in this thread:

I bet that M$ will churn out some kind of crap or crappy update or 2.0 and make Mojangs entire profit of the last 4 yrs + the 2.5 billion back just because it's a microsoft product on the microsoft land.

== dumb move for notch lol

There was a lot that could have been done with the game/game theory behind Minecraft. A lot. Some young kid with Carmaks talent could have really done a lot. (obviously Carmak would have been a bad choice because he's already rich and a prima donna)

[katrik]

I don't care about the game. Never played it nor do I intend to. Good for him though. Don't knock people taking advantage of beautiful capitalism.

[Haynar]

New tip. Make an awesome game. Skip a version for windows phone. Chaching!

[Yumyums Inmahtumtums]

This thread is a lot better once you utilize the ignore feature.


http://i.imgur.com/YT7BbiR.jpg

Eeyup

[Azure]

I don't care about the game. Never played it nor do I intend to. Good for him though. Don't knock people taking advantage of beautiful capitalism.

There is nothing really beutiful about capitalism from my perspective. It is simply what it is and just an expression of one of the darker sides of human nature.

[Azure]

Just for example, what is beutiful about one human owning more than another human. Abstract that one more level. If there's a bunch of monkeys and one monkey has all the bannanas and the other monkeys must use sex/money to get banannas, what is beutiful about that.

What, other than human nature gives one human the right to own more than another human or something over another human.

What idea was ever original.

And what do we stand to gain for supporting this system and Microsoft?

There are many beutiful and wonderful things that existed prior to capitalism, or socialism, because really. Capitalism is just socialism for the rich and privileged and entitled dynastic.

[Azure]

Welfare for the "owners" and "masters" and controllers and dictators.

[Azure]

Well I can answer one of those questions. So far violent physical force or might, and ancestry.

[LulzSect]

Glorious.

[Azure]

Were us hasbinbad when you need him ;(

[Gaffin 7.0]

awful game for little kids

[radditsu]

I dont get the market strategy. Minecraft is fun, but the programmers and infrastructure will never be worth 2 billion. It's slow, java based mess, with a great strategy on procedural generated content. It started a saturated pay to beta test mess that has pretty much ruined Steam. It took a long time for minecraft to get done. The only other thing from mojang is...a card game?

Yugioh is not worth 2 billion.

[Nihilist_santa]

This would pretty much only affect vanilla MC anyways right? Who the hell is still playing vanilla MC? I don't even bother updating that shit. The main issue will be the little deal that Notch and co made allowing people to finance their servers I am sure MS will have a problem with that and will try to create their own paid for servers for multiplayer MC which could be good or bad depending on a few factors. Most likely more stable servers but at a financial cost to players.

[Classic]

I dont get the market strategy. Minecraft is fun, but the programmers and infrastructure will never be worth 2 billion. It's slow, java based mess, with a great strategy on procedural generated content. It started a saturated pay to beta test mess that has pretty much ruined Steam. It took a long time for minecraft to get done. The only other thing from mojang is...a card game?

Yugioh is not worth 2 billion.

I dont get the market strategy. Minecraft is fun, but the programmers and infrastructure will never be worth 2 billion. It's slow, java based mess, with a great strategy on procedural generated content. It started a saturated pay to beta test mess that has pretty much ruined Steam. It took a long time for minecraft to get done. The only other thing from mojang is...a card game?

Yugioh is not worth 2 billion.

It's not about the java. It's about the game mechanics, trademarks, IP, and voxel engine which can be recoded to use modern C based or assembly optimized video GPU architecture.

It is also about stopping smaller developers from publishing a minecraft like game.

But you had me on ignore. So of course you didn't see any of this, which I illustrated before.

[katrik]

Just for example, what is beutiful about one human owning more than another human. Abstract that one more level. If there's a bunch of monkeys and one monkey has all the bannanas and the other monkeys must use sex/money to get banannas, what is beutiful about that.

What, other than human nature gives one human the right to own more than another human or something over another human.

What idea was ever original.

And what do we stand to gain for supporting this system and Microsoft?

There are many beutiful and wonderful things that existed prior to capitalism, or socialism, because really. Capitalism is just socialism for the rich and privileged and entitled dynastic.

you sound like a poor liberal

[Estolcles]

Just for example, what is beutiful about one human owning more than another human.

Slave contracts should hold up in court. But they don't.

[Champion_Standing]

Minecraft 2 gonna be epic now, thanks Bill Gates.

[radditsu]

Minecraft 2 gonna be epic now, thanks Bill Gates.

Bill gates saving people's lives non batman bruce wayne style.

[radditsu]

It's not about the java. It's about the game mechanics, trademarks, IP, and voxel engine which can be recoded to use modern C based or assembly optimized video GPU architecture.

It is also about stopping smaller developers from publishing a minecraft like game.

But you had me on ignore. So of course you didn't see any of this, which I illustrated before.

I thought I ignored this one. Fuck.

[Tongpow]

i bet Rolf of wurm online wakes up every morning hating himself for letting notch walk out the door

[Drakaris]

I remember seeing this years ago for the first time, when I saw my friends brother playing it. I went to her brother 'what the heck is this shit? It look's like it came from the 90s' he answered 'This is really popular, it is like digital Lego'....

Since then I've seen it played by a co-workers younger daughter and almost every other child (where the parents play video games) between the age of 4 and 16...

[Ereni]

I wonder what this will mean in regards to the ability to host servers (in terms of who can + the type of access), skins, and other modifications.

[Azure]

I was pretty sure that there were way more rumors originally that the minecraft code was going to be made public and open source, under a GNU or MIT liscence in the event of notch ever getting tired of it


I guess it made too much money and he had too much hookers and blow freely available in sweden

[LulzSect]

http://media.tumblr.com/eee86734cd357f625d5ee9f531237069/tumblr_inline_n90g9mvsWE1sk06nb.gif

[Tecmos Deception]

People who create have an individual responsibility to ensure that their ability and the ability of their peers to create openly and freely is not hindered.

Of all the people to try to tell someone else what to do with themselves.

[Nihilist_santa]

Of all the people to try to tell someone else what to do with themselves.

Lmao +1

[Azure]

Of all the people to try to tell someone else what to do with themselves.

There is a sublte difference between being critical and telling people what to think, giving them your opinion.

And telling them they are worthless faggots for doing XYZ.

I didn't even call Notch or Mojang any names. In fact I went out of my way to say that they were not even obligated. Just that I feel that the way this rolled is morally gray. Personally.

I did call M$ evil sacks of shit. But that is a fact and not me telling M$ NOT to be evil sacks of shit.

Sublte differences.

[Azure]

So let me rephrase this in terms that are a bit nicer. If I happened to be a famous game designer with a profiting game. I would not hand it over to M$ for any amount of blow and hookers.

[Azure]

Just 2 be clear, I don't think your stance is entirely wrong either Katrik. I just have to be a dick, cause u know M$... also yes, good job, I made a thread and a good # of double and triple posts whilst I could have been grinding levels in the economic newb yard.

[Azure]

Awww fuck wrong thrad, but whatever...

[rgostic]

People who create have an individual responsibility to ensure that their ability and the ability of their peers to create openly and freely is not hindered.

But almost no one stands their ground against this oppressive force in the markets that creates a monopolization of all distribution and all ideas.



Life is about more than video games. (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PBwAxmrE194)

[Azure]

Oh, I suppose my stance doesn't apply to the music industry? Clubs? Books? News? TV? Radio? Art commissions online... the cell phone industry?

Humans be stupid and I'm not going to sit here and try and explain my point of view to people who are just going to outright dismiss it without much more thought than...

AAWWWWWW lets all get rich.... awww yeah...

[Sidelle]

God... this thread...

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy1/simonejester/animations/23rkg93jpg.gif

[Gaffin 7.0]

God... this thread...

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy1/simonejester/animations/23rkg93jpg.gif

[Azure]

God... this thread...

http://i772.photobucket.com/albums/yy1/simonejester/animations/23rkg93jpg.gif

http://i.imgur.com/o0jg9.gif

---

http://i.imgur.com/H4vqsCs.jpg

[averad]

It's interesting the comments that are here even though none of you actually know Marcus.

http://i.imgur.com/uDyMmuM.jpg

[Azure]

I don't need to know the man to critique his work. If he didn't want to be critiqued perhaps he shouldn't have uploaded it to the internet, or sold it on the public market?

Again, I don't think Marcus aka Notch is evil. I don't think he's anywhere near brilliant, or good, or saintly, or a divine jesus prophecy for kids who need a creative outlet.

[Azure]

P.S. if your refering to my comments about hookers and blow, U Know anyone who makes over $1 million and self identifies as a dood and lives behind a computer and plays games is going to spend some of that on hookers and blow. Again, not calling him evil. Just speculating on what a man of his means and heritage would be doing right about now.

[Champion_Standing]

Is that pink hair girl Notch?

[Azure]

Is that pink hair girl Notch?

nope

http://i.imgur.com/jb5oPN6.jpg (just to reinforce my piont)

Notch is the fat one next to the pink haired girl who looks spaced out and diabetic

Also, I have followed his projects/websites, know enough about coding to know the shit that was/is minecraft alpha code etc...

[Champion_Standing]

Awwwww yeah, shake it baby

[Azure]

XD

[LulzSect]

https://i.chzbgr.com/maxW500/5203326208/h50B20AF7/

[averad]

I don't need to know the man to critique his work. If he didn't want to be critiqued perhaps he shouldn't have uploaded it to the internet, or sold it on the public market?

Again, I don't think Marcus aka Notch is evil. I don't think he's anywhere near brilliant, or good, or saintly, or a divine jesus prophecy for kids who need a creative outlet.

And this is exactly why Marcus is leaving the lime light and based on your comments you should be happy.

The Pink haired girl is Lydia "Minecraft Chick" and that picture is when she was interviewed for her career with Mojang at E3 2011. I helped start MinecraftFM, I worked on the Minecraft Forums before they were sold to Curse for $60k in contracts. If you want to actually know why and what was going on I can tell you however it seems everyone just wants to bitch like Minecraft is R99.

[Grimjaw]

show us her tits

[Azure]

Lol, ur on p99s forums. Tell us what you want. Ps I wuv you lulzesct

[rgostic]

Oh, I suppose my stance doesn't apply to the music industry? Clubs? Books? News? TV? Radio? Art commissions online... the cell phone industry?

Humans be stupid and I'm not going to sit here and try and explain my point of view to people who are just going to outright dismiss it without much more thought than...

AAWWWWWW lets all get rich.... awww yeah...

There's a reason the world works the way it does. It didn't happen by accident. You're being dismissive and naive by thinking that the desire for profit implies some immature attitude characterized by a soundbite.

When you grow up you'll learn that humans typically have a more valid justification for their choices than your ignorant attitude implies you believe in, and that those who write off the choices that others make as being stupid just because they don't understand them are the true fools . (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qtIdhpw6hc)

[Azure]

God is a greedy asshole and made us this way?

[Azure]

I guess you're confusing my sentiment with my understanding and reason. But ok. You got me! Nobile actions never did any good!

[LulzSect]

The Lion does not concern himself with the opinions of sheep.

[Azure]

The Lion does not concern himself with the opinions of sheep.

No shit shirlock.

I still have yet to see a good argument for:

1. Notch actually having produced something he didn't need the rest of Mojangg to fix for him to even make it marketable on the big market.

2. How wonderful this will be for the game and the community for M$ to own this game that basically has more user contribution than actual programming and content.

[LulzSect]

Not really sure why you continue to post on a forum where no one likes you.

[harnold]

I don't think anyone around here likes you either, Lulzsect, you remind everyone of underage penis

[katrik]

I don't think anyone around here likes you either, Lulzsect, you remind everyone of underage penis

Uh..

What?