Minecraft Money: Notch Outbids Beyoncé and Jay-Z on $70 Million Home

Earlier this year, Minecraft creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson and and his Mojang co-founders made a cool $2.5 billion when they sold the company to Microsoft. That sort of money can buy you just about anything — even the luxury Beverly Hills ‘megamansion’ that Jay-Z and Beyoncé were hoping to call their own.

It’s being reported that Notch has purchased the home for $70 million. For that sizeable sum, he’ll receive a mansion that sports eight bedrooms, fifteen bathrooms and a car showroom. Other highlights include a room dedicated to candy, and a 54-foot glass door that opens straight onto a swimming pool.

Notch was already something of a legend for taking an indie game and making it a global cultural phenomenon, but managing to beat out music royalty like the Carters demonstrates just how far an indie developer can go. Just five years ago, no one had heard of Minecraft or Notch — now his real estate purchase is making headlines around the world.

Yesterday was a big news day for the Minecraft brand also; as well as some new additions to the game, it was announced that Telltale Games are working on a title called Minecraft: Story Mode that looks to expand the narrative of the series. Despite being its creator, Notch hadn’t worked on the game for some time even before he left Mojang as part of the Microsoft buyout.

Questions remain as to what’s next for the father of Minecraft, as he’s been rather cagey as to his intentions after plans for a space adventure called 0x10c fell through in 2013. It’s unclear whether Notch will continue in game development, or opt to simply enjoy his enormous home and its many bathrooms, its movie theater and its array of luxury closets.

With $70 million being spent on a house, Double Fine fans will be hoping that Notch revisits his desire to fund a sequel to their cult classic platformer Psychonauts. Persson suggested he would be interested in doing so back in 2012, but after looking further into the realistic costs of such a project, it seemed that it was not to be.

Whatever his next move is, it’s good to see an independent developer be rewarded for his work — and to be able to live the high life in Beverly Hills. Meanwhile, the gaming world waits to see what Notch’s next project will be; but we’ll give him a bit of time to move house, first.

Source: Curbed

Minecraft Money: Notch Outbids Beyoncé and Jay-Z on $70 Million Home