14 DAY TRIAL // Mojang, the company behind Minecraft, has revealed that its profits in 2013 were more than double those it registered in 2012.
This comes as no surprise, as Minecraft continues to soar, having registered over 35 million units sold across all available platforms, which is definitely a record for a pixelated game about breaking blocks and placing them elsewhere.
Mojang is a small company, a team of only 36 members, and Minecraft remains the main source of income for them, assisting in the current revenue jump. Having such a beastly game as your main source of income if far from bad, as the game has managed to acquire a devoted fanbase over the years, and some of the feats of its players are worthy of admiration, such as the full size replica of Manhattan.
Around 30 percent of the total figure comes from the console versions of the sandbox game, 38 percent comes from the PC version, which is still the dominant platform the game is played on, and the rest comes from the mobile version, which raked in 25 percent, as well as various merchandising income being responsible for the remainder.
The interesting thing is that the profit registered in 2013 will be split almost evenly, amounting to $128 / €92 million for each party, with an external company owned by Markus "Notch" Persson, creator of Minecraft, in order to cover licensing fees.
"Usually with games, you would start to expect a decline after the first year since launch. That's never really happened for us. Financially speaking, we have no pressure whatsoever to rush into any new projects. Besides, we have no outside owners that require us to reach any particular goals," Mojang executive Carl Manneh commented.
Mojang may not be rushing into new projects, but they're definitely improving on the one they already have, as later this year, the Minecraft Realms service will go live, allowing players to gain access to secure servers for a subscription fee, a move that is projected to secure additional income for the company.
They are also currently working on their tactical collectible card game Scrolls, which combines elements from both traditional board games and long-standing card game franchises. The game was designed with the help of Markus Persson, in order to deliver a gaming experience that was missing from the market, and is currently in its beta stage, available for purchase on the Scrolls website.
Minecraft is currently available on PC, Mac, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, as well as in a Pocket Edition on iOS and Android.