...says millionaire creator of Minecraft. But take heed: he has a point
He may be making thousands of dollars a day from download sales, but Minecraft creator Markus Persson is under no illusions: he knows he got lucky.
But he's worried that his sudden success could create a distorted view of indie games - and has told Develop that 'indie games won't make you rich'.
in-depth Q&A and profile piece about his success, fame and his fans with Develop, he said: "With regards the numbers and the money… One thing I’m trying very carefully these days to point out is definitely the luck factor.
"Because, sure, Minecraft did well but there are tons of other people who make interesting games and they don’t get the mass of users and don’t really take off. Timing issues count against them, or they talk to the wrong people or press or whatever so theres a big aspect of just luck."
He added: "I’m a bit afraid that people might start doing indie games because they think they can become rich. The global market means it’s very cheap to distribute, and if you’re very small with low costs you don’t have to sell many orders to make a profit.
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"But becoming rich? As in all other businesses, it’s the same. Take music - you hear lots of talented musicians on YouTube but not many of them get a recording contract, but some who are talented, through a combination of luck and skill become popular, rich and mass produced."
Sounds like an attempt to deter competition, I mean look at his shiftie eyes...
I believe he got rich because of luck. What I don't believe is that luck is required.
I'm sure there are people that put in a lot of effort researching, developing, prototyping, marketing and selling games that make millions of dollars because that's what they aimed for.
Sure, there are countless people who fail, but I'm willing to bet that most of the ones who succeed did it because they knew what they where doing.
I have to disagree with Notch on this. Business doesnt have to do with luck as much as it has to do with innovation on the current market and setting up a solid marketing plan. Simply speaking, if you can come up with an original idea, thats addictive, fun and stands apart from the competition. (like minecraft) And then distribute it where your targeted audience will see it. You will probably do okay.
The trick is to create something that impresses people on the major game websites. And these sites tend to give much exposure to the little guys for their impressive indie games.
This guy is a biggot. Little does he know that he had the spread of word of mouth for his video game. Let alone if a indie with a secure PR Firm made a similar product, it would blow him out of the water. Everyone knows that if you advertise and solve your target audiences's problems, you will get rich. 500k sales of a game at 20$ with a 30% commission cut to a publisher is roughly 8M$, more than his greedy eyes can take.
Dumb comments directed at video game developers. People sing because they love to sing. People make games because they love to make games. Getting rich should always be second to any game developer. People shouldn't make games to make themselves rich.
Adel; I agree with you "I am worried." he says that's ridiculous he's worried about rivals in his industry and the plethora of Indie developers after market share.
Roger; Great point it has nothing to do with luck this CEO clearly does not understand marketing, innovation and lucrative ideas that sell games. I don't believe this guy is being perfectly honest a lot of successful people refuse to share their trade secrets and instead supplement with disinformation.
There is definitely a point here, but not the whole truth. There probably is a way in which you can make games that would sell like crazy. But no one knows this. No one. And the big companies have all the resources to get the best talent. And still they fail at times. So, in the end it comes down to luck. By you can increase the odds. A lot.
I think it is a very foolish person who does not admit the role of luck in running a business.
Humans love to idolise success and attempt to understand the specific recipes/actions that would allow us to replicate the success of our heroes.
I think that Markus is making a very valuable point: success in any creative endeavour (and possibly all endeavours) is down to luck.
The key to being a successful entrepreneur, however, is maximising your chances of being lucky. Aiming for a single strategy that requires everything going your way might work, but it is more likely that you will be one of the many games/businesses that failed before anyone even heard of you.
I agree with Nicholas' comments above.
I feel I have to challenge Roger's view that making a great game and putting it in the right place is the secret to success. Capturing the tastes of leading games journalists, let alone the popular zeitgeist, is an exercise in luck in itself.
Everyone has a different idea of what's exciting and innovative. Creating something innovative *that people respond to* is much more difficult than simply creating something that's not already been done. You need to fit into people's individual tastes. Unless you're a mind-reader there's going to be a lot of luck involved in finding that sweet spot.
