Minecraft creator Markus Persson (also known simply as Notch) was never known to be of the diplomatic sort. Throughout the last thirteen years, he has made several controversial comments via social media, both on the games industry and various social issues. Sticking to the former, back in 2012, he famously gave his permission to a Minecraft fan to pirate the game if he could not afford it at the moment:
Just pirate it. If you still like it when you can afford it in the future, buy it then. Also, don’t forget to feel bad. 😉
At the 2011 Game Developers Conference, Persson was even more direct when telling his peers that piracy was not theft. He argued that if people stole a car, there would be one less in the world, whereas pirating a game simply means there is another copy in the world and possibly a new fan.
Now, the Minecraft creator has renewed his thoughts in light of the Stop Killing Games initiative. For context, the online petition is seeking to gather enough signatures to propose a bill to the UK and European parliaments to block game developers and publishers from making games that can eventually be 'killed' by permanently taking down servers. Last week, we covered one such example when Electronic Arts announced that all services for BioWare's Anthem would cease on January 12, 2026. From that date onward, the game will be effectively unplayable.
The Stop Killing Games initiative has gained considerable momentum lately and is now nearing 1.3 million signatures, as you can see on the official website. Unsurprisingly, publishers have already said that if this were ever to pass, it would be 'prohibitively expensive' for them, which sounds like a hidden threat of even further price increases.
It is in this context that Markus Persson said:
If buying a game is not a purchase, then pirating them is not theft.
When asked what game developers and publishers should do instead of shutting games down, the Minecraft creator pointed out that old games used to allow players to host their own servers, which effectively kept those games alive even after the actual developer turned off their official servers.
Earlier this year, Persson gauged the interest of his followers in him getting back to work on a spiritual successor to Minecraft. The response seemed positive, although it remains unclear whether this game will actually be made and, if so, when it could launch.
Besides that, do you agree with Persson's opinion on the subject?
About the author: With over two decades of experience in gaming journalism, Alessio Palumbo has led the gaming vertical at Wccftech since August 2015. He started working at a young age for Italian websites like Everyeye.it, Gamestar.it, Nextgame.it, and Multiplayer.it before kickstarting the indie English-language publication Worlds Factory as its founder and Editor in Chief. In the last decade, he has coordinated the overall output of Wccftech's gaming section, managed PR relations, assigned reviews, produced daily news coverage, edited gaming content as needed, and delivered game reviews. Arguably, his trademark content is the long series of exclusive developer interviews that have been cited by Wikipedia and by the biggest news media and gaming publications. His passion for technology also makes him knowledgeable when it comes to gaming hardware and tech. His favorite genres include RPGs, MMORPGs, and action/adventure games.
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