Notch

Markus Alexej Persson, better known by the alias Notch, born on June 1, 1979, is a Swedish video game designer and programmer. Persson’s career dates back to 2009 with the sandbox video game “Minecraft.” Ever since then, he has solidified his space in the industry and received awards for his work. He is a talented video game designer who is worth celebrating, especially on his special day.

Fast Facts

Full Name:

Markus Alexej Persson

Birth date:

June 1, 1979

Age:

44

Zodiac Sign:

Gemini

Height:

5' 9"

Relationship Status:

Divorced

Net Worth:

$1.6 million

Markus's Social Media:

Background

Markus Alexej Persson is a Swedish game designer that is highly-revered within and outside Silicon Valley. His amazing games, philanthropic nature, and approachability to his fans have earned him a supportive fan base. Persson was born on June 1, 1979, in Stockholm, Sweden. His father, Birger Persson, was Swedish, and his mother, Ritva, was Finnish. Hence, Persson is a Gemini of Finnish and Swedish heritage. For the first seven years of his life, Persson lived in Edsbyn with his family and later moved back to Stockholm. Persson’s interest in programming came early as he started using his father’s home computer, a Commodore 128, to program.

Persson started working for King Digital Entertainment, a video game publisher and the maker of the beloved “Candy Crush” game, in 2005. Four years later, he left King and got a job at jAlbum, the cross-platform photo website. Persson then started developing “Minecraft” in 2009. In the same year, he founded the video game-developing company, Mojang. “Minecraft” became public in 2009 and was released under Mojang in November 2011. The game became a massive success selling over 238 million copies and having 140 million active users monthly.

Three years after “Minecraft” was released, it was sold to Microsoft for $2.5 billion in November 2014. Persson is a high-successful game developer, but he’s not liked on social media due to his unpopular opinions. Following his streak of polemic tweets, Microsoft dissociated itself from him. As a famous billionaire game designer, Persson shares his success with his daughter, an offspring from his first and only marriage to Elin Zetterstrand in 2011.

Career timeline

2005
He Starts Working at King

Persson gets a job at King.

2009
He Gets a Job at jAlbum

Persson gets a job at the cross-platform photo website.

2009
He Founds Mojang Studios

Persson independently establishes this video game developing company.

2011
"Minecraft’s" Release

Mojang releases the game for purchase.

Why We Love Notch

  1. He is hardworking

    Persson went from working under someone to developing his own company. He dedicated himself to his work and is now a billionaire.

  2. He plays hard

    Persson has a unique collection of sports cars and toys. He also purchased a $70 million home in Beverly Hills.

  3. He is a philanthropist

    Persson has contributed to multiple causes. He has donated to Doctors Without Borders and several other charities.

5 Surprising Facts

  1. He built his first game at eight

    Persson experimented with code and built his first game at eight years with his father’s computer.

  2. "Minecraft" is a Java game

    "Minecraft" is built using the Java programming language.

  3. He received backlash on Twitter

    Persson received heavy criticism after he referred to feminism as a "social disease."

  4. His dad’s magazine subscriptions

    Persson used his dad’s magazine subscriptions to learn to code.

  5. He is no longer credited

    Following Microsoft’s dissociation from Persson, the 2019 game update doesn’t feature his name on the menu.

Notch FAQs

Why did Markus Persson leave Mojang?

He decided to leave the company after Microsoft was sold.

Why did Notch make "Minecraft" in Java?

Notch shared he felt at the time he was more productive using Java.

Was there ever a "Minecraft" 2.0?

No. An article was posted as an April fools’ joke, but it was never in the plan.

Notch’s birthday dates

YearDateDay
2024June 1Saturday
2025June 1Sunday
2026June 1Monday
2027June 1Tuesday
2028June 1Thursday

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