Minecraft is loved by millions of players all around the world and is played by a diverse section of people. In 2014, after being bought by Microsoft, the number of players on Mobile devices has increased and Mojang has become one of the largest game developers in the history of gaming.
In 2021 Minecraft has a total valuation of more than a billion dollars. The precise number is 1.7 billion USD. Minecraft is the most popular game in the history of video games having been played by 166 million players in the month of August 2021 alone.
It’s incredibly huge in terms of fan following and market space and Mojang founder Markus Persson, made enormous wealth from selling the game to Microsoft in 2014 for 2.5 billion USD. He even bought a 70 million USD villa in Beverly Hills and is living a life very few can afford. But how has Minecraft fared since the time it was sold?
Minecraft Revenue in Last 10 Years
Minecraft has shot to the sky after the Pandemic when its user base drastically increased just like other digital companies. According to PCGamers report, It was played by a total of 200 million players worldwide and this year alone they added more than 20 million players to their community.
The new monthly high was 161 million players in the month of August 2021, with the number of multiplayer sessions increasing lately. The Nether Update last year added some new exciting adventures within the game leading to more interest from new and old players alike.
| Year | Revenue |
| 2012 | $211 |
| 2013 | $326 |
| 2014 | $165 |
| 2015 | $350 |
| 2016 | $420 |
| 2017 | $370 |
| 2018 | $500 |
*All units are in million USD
After acquiring so many new players and selling 200 million copies, it’s interesting to look at the revenue of Minecraft in the last 10 years.
In the last year alone, it generated 415 million USD of revenue worldwide.
The total revenue that Minecraft has accumulated over the last 10 years has been 3,125 million USD.
That’s 3.12 billion USD in revenue over the last 10 years.
This is an impressive number but not shocking seeming the number of players Minecraft has attracted over the years.
In the year 2020 alone Minecraft had 131 million monthly active users.
This year the graph tends to be increasing as in the month of August 2021, the monthly active users reached 161 million.
That’s an extraordinary number but the Pandemic certainly played its part in the rise of digital companies this year and like many other games, Minecraft also attracted millions of new users to its gaming community.
With last year’s revenue for the game sales grossing over 200 million USD, it’ll be exciting to see what this year’s stats will reveal about the rise of the Mojang-founded game.
The total revenue that it generated was 412 million USD.
Microsoft made a huge bet on Minecraft in 2014 by paying 2.5 billion USD. However, all that money now has been recouped by the company seeing the revenues it generates every year.
As we saw already, the last 10 years’ revenue for Minecraft was 3.132 billion USD and Microsoft bought Minecraft 7 years ago, meaning a large part of that revenue is in Microsoft’s bank account.
So, smart investment always pays off.
Microsoft bought the game to make it more pliable for its mobiles and PCs.
In the Asian and South American Market, Minecraft PE is more popular than the PC and Xbox. As there are a huge number of mobile users in India, China, and Brazil the expectancy of an increase in Mobile users is high.
Gaming is becoming a hot deal in the youth now. As more young digital experts are plying their trade online, a lot of them are going into the gaming niche.
Online games have become a means of earning for many millennials. Various methods are used to earn through games like participating in a competition, streaming the games on private channels, and the new NFT market may also play a key role in the expansion of Minecraft’s revenue next year.
Minecraft Sales In Last 10 Years
The number of Minecraft games sold in the last 10 years is more than 924 million copies.
| Year | Sales |
| 2012 | 9 million |
| 2013 | 33 million |
| 2014 | 54 million |
| 2015 | 72 million |
| 2016 | 100 million |
| 2017 | 122 million |
| 2018 | 154 million |
This means nearly 1 billion copies of Minecraft games have been sold. A huge number for the game that was released just 11 years ago.
These numbers are evidence of Mojang’s smart game development and its focus on their user’s base interests and queries.
There have been many times in the past when the Mojang was criticized by its players but due to an inefficiency in the games or any wrong features.
For instance, there was an update on birds’ food in the game that was later removed by the community’s insistence because that was harmful to the bird in real life and children can imitate that behavior with the birds.
This is the level of trust and connection that Mojang has built with its user base that they are open to any reasonable changes by them.
This has made Minecraft a popular game among its users.
Last year alone Minecraft sold 200 million copies and the year before its sales were up to 176 million.
Since 2011 when it sold 4 million copies, the yearly sales have never dipped. Every year there has been an increment in the number of sales of Minecraft which is evident in the revenue of the company.
In just the last 5 years, it has been bought more than 600 million times. That’s a big number for the game that started with 4 million in the first year.
Now that Mobile and PC devices are in every home and easily accessible to every youngster, the business of the company is expected to rise many folds in the coming years.
How Many Players has Minecraft Has In The Last 10 Years?
Minecraft has had 550 million players in the last 10 years.
| Year | Monthly Active Users |
| 2012 | 40 million |
| 2103 | 55 million |
| 2014 | 75 million |
| 2015 | 91 million |
| 2016 | 131 million |
It has never seen a dip in its popularity among the players and every year the number of players kept on increasing since its launch.
The number of players playing Minecraft in 2016 was 40 million. Then it kept on increasing every year and has gone on to become the most popular game.
Since gaming has become a mainstream competition, it has grown into a full-fledged career and people have started to take a serious interest in it.
Now millennials and GenZ aspire to become gamers and this has led to a serious interest in online gaming as a whole.
Another reason for the popularity of Minecraft is that it conducts its own competition.
There are many players who are serious Minecraft champs and constantly take part in such competitions.
Along with gaming competitions, many Minecraft experts stream their gameplay through private channels that allow them the opportunity to monetize their stream. Many of them are creating content on YouTube and getting revenue from it. Some of the most popular YouTubers are Minecraft content creators, with subscribers in millions.
All these things inspire more people to play Minecraft every year, increasing the number of users every year.
Minecraft Players By The Platform In The Last 10 Years
Most of the players are on PC and PE platforms.
The combined total number of players is 900 million. The exact number is not available but the total number of players in all of the platforms crosses 900 million.
Where Is Minecraft The Most Popular?
Minecraft is played all over the world. It is most popular in the USA, China, India, and South American countries.
Here are the top 10 countries that play Minecraft.
- USA
- UK
- Germany
- China
- India
- Brazil
- Argentina
- Australia
- Canada
- Austria
These are some of the nations where Minecraft is most popular.
How Much Did Minecraft Sell For?
Minecraft sold for 2.5 billion USD in 2014. Microsoft bought Minecraft in a record sale that has proved to be a profitable investment over the years.
Mojang has remained under Microsoft supervision since then and has acquired more gaming companies after that. But Minecraft has remained its source of revenue that has made it quite a big name in the gaming industry.
The CEO Marcus Persson at the time of the deal is now retired and even said in an interview that he feels his life is sad after the deal is made as he had not had much work to do after that.
However, his earnings from that deal helped him buy a mansion of $70 million in Beverly costlier than Jay Z and Beyonce’s luxury mansion.
Who is the Richest Minecraft Player?
Preston Arsement is the richest Minecraft gamer. He has a net worth of 14 million USD making him one of the top video gamers in the world. He streams his videos and sells the in-house software to complement his income.
Who Is The Ceo Of Minecraft 2021?
The Chief executive officer of Minecraft in 2021 is Jonas Mårtensson.
