The past, present and future of Mojang as seen through Notch's eyes
polygon.com
polygon.com
Even with the API where Mojang hired the developers of the de facto mod API Bukkit, the development seems to have just continued on Bukkit while the promised API languishes for 8 months.
On the other hand I see Mojang, the company who in its infancy hired the popular and attention-obsessive "minecraftchick" to do PR/Advertising rather than someone who actually knows what they're doing.
On top of this, Valve has the kind of financial backing where they can screw around all day and still not go bankrupt for awhile thanks to their previous work in Steam. Mojang on the other hand is only making income on merch and the 5 people who haven't already bought minecraft.
As much as I hate to say it, the more I read about Mojang, Minecraft, and the decisions they're making, the more I feel like the success of the game was an act of serendipity rather than one of skill.
I see it the same way, and honestly when I hear Notch speak about all of his success he seems about as confused as everyone else. I'm happy for the guy, because he worked hard on something he was passionate about and it was a huge success. But at the same time he kind of hit the lottery with Minecraft.
In terms of maximizing profit, sure. Seems like they have plenty of money though and are optimizing creativity/happiness whatever.
I do wish they'd figure out how to handle an API but it looks like a really challenging problem.
That's distinct from not working on something simply because it's "boring" or "too hard".
We've all been there - spending months doing something that in the end doesn't matter.
Notch has the ability to make fun games quick, I'd gladly pay for a full version of the last game jam he participated in. If he made a series of demos, then chose the best one he wouldn't be in the dilema he's in now.
Maybe that's the problem. No pressure can also take toll on finishing something.
"Under the Gun: When Less Time Can Mean Better Problem-Solving"
Minecraft has allowed them to bankroll certain proclivities that the whole "we're cool nerds" culture Persson likes to perpetuate; but if they want to be taken seriously as a gaming company, they might want to knuckle down a bit and use some of the tried and true methods for bringing a project to market.
I work for a Swedish father/son company. Interestingly, the son has the same problem; take something interesting 90% of the way then wander off to a new shiny before the project gets done.
I don't think that they necessarily do, though. At least, it doesn't seem to be a high priority.
It's not like anyone else is releasing good games on a faster schedule. Most companies just pass the time releasing crap.
Really? It's pronounced like that? What's the reasoning behind it? Why not "268", or "ten cee hex"?
Modifying the game from within actually sounds like a good idea.