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Minecraft for Xbox 360 Is Profitable, Despite Being a Day Old

All manner of digital sales records are broken by the blocky playset/game/thing.

Notch can probably afford to build a real life block mansion at this point, with block animals and everything. You'd be amazed how much block animals cost. Genetic engineering, and all that.
Notch can probably afford to build a real life block mansion at this point, with block animals and everything. You'd be amazed how much block animals cost. Genetic engineering, and all that.

Given that Minecraft is already a multi-million dollar property, it's perhaps not a huge surprise that Minecraft on the Xbox 360 sold very well in its opening 24 hours of availability. That said, Minecraft on the Xbox 360 didn't just sell very well. It sold so well, in fact, that it broke--nay, obliterated--Microsoft's previous XBLA first day sales record, and was profitable within an hour of being live.

While Microsoft is not the type to actually dish out real sales numbers--because lord knows what that information could do were it to wind up in the wrong hands (read: anyone else's hands)--but Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson, being the delightfully free spirited wizard man that he is, doesn't really concern himself with these sorts of things, so he threw out a number anyway.

According to Notch, there are already more than 400,000 players active on the leaderboards. Now, that's not a 100% completely accurate number for overall sales, but it's a number that's been more or less (surprisingly) confirmed by Major Nelson.

Anyone want to take odds on how long it takes to hit a million in sales? Granted, we may never actually find out if it hits a million, since again, Microsoft is usually pretty stingy with that data. But I'd hazard to guess that, should it hit that milestone, they'll say something about it. I mean, it just sounds so impressive. "A million downloads." Rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it?

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alex

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Edited By alex
Notch can probably afford to build a real life block mansion at this point, with block animals and everything. You'd be amazed how much block animals cost. Genetic engineering, and all that.
Notch can probably afford to build a real life block mansion at this point, with block animals and everything. You'd be amazed how much block animals cost. Genetic engineering, and all that.

Given that Minecraft is already a multi-million dollar property, it's perhaps not a huge surprise that Minecraft on the Xbox 360 sold very well in its opening 24 hours of availability. That said, Minecraft on the Xbox 360 didn't just sell very well. It sold so well, in fact, that it broke--nay, obliterated--Microsoft's previous XBLA first day sales record, and was profitable within an hour of being live.

While Microsoft is not the type to actually dish out real sales numbers--because lord knows what that information could do were it to wind up in the wrong hands (read: anyone else's hands)--but Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson, being the delightfully free spirited wizard man that he is, doesn't really concern himself with these sorts of things, so he threw out a number anyway.

According to Notch, there are already more than 400,000 players active on the leaderboards. Now, that's not a 100% completely accurate number for overall sales, but it's a number that's been more or less (surprisingly) confirmed by Major Nelson.

Anyone want to take odds on how long it takes to hit a million in sales? Granted, we may never actually find out if it hits a million, since again, Microsoft is usually pretty stingy with that data. But I'd hazard to guess that, should it hit that milestone, they'll say something about it. I mean, it just sounds so impressive. "A million downloads." Rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it?

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DJ_EuroGhost

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Edited By DJ_EuroGhost

This made me want to go play the pc version!

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Galv

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Edited By Galv

Still can't decide if i want to get this.

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Draxyle

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Edited By Draxyle

It's amazing that this game still has such strong legs behind it.

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AlexW00d

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Edited By AlexW00d

After seeing so many of these stories for games on PC, this is good to see for xbox.

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adoggz

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Edited By adoggz

damn.

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Jazz_Lafayette

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Edited By Jazz_Lafayette

Always gets me to hear about the preposterous tiers of money that we'll never have. Drink up, folks!

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radioactivez0r

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Edited By radioactivez0r

I just...don't get it. I never have. The idea of "here's a world, do whatever" is either too free-form or too restrictive (??) to me.

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Zaxex

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Edited By Zaxex

Minecraft's probably the biggest gaming thing I respect.

I'm glad it's found such success, especially from a small studio. As soon as I saw 125,000 ratings on XBL before it was widely available I figured it would be crazy successful. I'm just glad it's a worthwhile port, the split-screen came out of nowhere for me and there're a lot of clever UI and usability tweaks that are welcome.

What's better is that the men in suits in conference rooms, as I imagine them, will be scratching their heads and trying to figure out how to replicate Minecraft's success.

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SpartanAmbrose

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@radioactivez0r said:

I just...don't get it. I never have. The idea of "here's a world, do whatever" is either too free-form or too restrictive (??) to me.

I can't really explain it either, but there's just something magical about the whole experience.

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zombie2011

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Edited By zombie2011

This Next promotion was probably the best selling promotion for MS. Trials: Evo and Minecraft probably outsold most things on XBLA alone, then you add Fez in there too......

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Ravenlight

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Edited By Ravenlight
the delightfully free spirited wizard man

An apt description, I'd say.

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TheHBK

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Edited By TheHBK

Fuck I need to play this.

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lordofultima

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Edited By lordofultima

@radioactivez0r said:

I just...don't get it. I never have. The idea of "here's a world, do whatever" is either too free-form or too restrictive (??) to me.

How do you deal with real life? It must be some serious analysis paralysis.

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ItBeStefYo

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Edited By ItBeStefYo

Didnt Trials Evolution JUST break the XBLA first day record?

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TEHMAXXORZ

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Edited By TEHMAXXORZ

I got it for free, which is great, but still the PC version reigns supreme!

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alibson

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Edited By alibson

I don't understand why would anyone get the console version. If they know what Minecraft is then they already have a PC to play it on.

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trace

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Edited By trace

@ItBeStefYo said:

Didnt Trials Evolution JUST break the XBLA first day record?

That it did. Crazy couple of weeks for XBLA.

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Winternet

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Edited By Winternet

That's a million bucks.

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viking_funeral

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@radioactivez0r said:

I just...don't get it. I never have. The idea of "here's a world, do whatever" is either too free-form or too restrictive (??) to me.

For me Minecraft is just really relaxing. There are not many games I can play to truly relax, but that's one of them. Though I completely understand why other people wouldn't enjoy it.

Glad it came to the 360, though I can't imagine that many people don't have a computer that can run Minecraft.

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SSully

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Edited By SSully

@radioactivez0r said:

I just...don't get it. I never have. The idea of "here's a world, do whatever" is either too free-form or too restrictive (??) to me.

It's something you really just have to try. It kind of has a child-like vibe to it where you can just let your imagination go wild.

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firecracker22

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Edited By firecracker22

That's amazing. It's great news too. I mean, anything that can put a good spotlight on XBLA...a thing that can sometimes just get buried (especially now with the new dashboard).

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Slow_pC

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Edited By Slow_pC

All this good news about this release makes me think about adding it to the arcade collection here...

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andrewf87462

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Edited By andrewf87462

Yeah I was up for getting this on the Xbox after seeing the Giantbomb crew "enjoy" playing the game, but every review i've seen so far basically says, stick with the PC version.

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Edited By SpawnMan

I'm not from America, so I waited for 18 hours extra to get this game (was already 9th here) and was checking, waiting for the very moment it was released on the marketplace. I probably helped make this game profitable in the first hour lmao. ;D

I'm happy for games which deserve it. NOT for rubbish like CoD which breaks a record for the same regurgitated crap every time. :C

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clstirens

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@Zaxex said:

Minecraft's probably the biggest gaming thing I respect.

I'm glad it's found such success, especially from a small studio. As soon as I saw 125,000 ratings on XBL before it was widely available I figured it would be crazy successful. I'm just glad it's a worthwhile port, the split-screen came out of nowhere for me and there're a lot of clever UI and usability tweaks that are welcome.

What's better is that the men in suits in conference rooms, as I imagine them, will be scratching their heads and trying to figure out how to replicate Minecraft's success.

That actually bothers me. Why? Because when the men in suits put money down to "replicate" anyone else's success, they always clone, seldom innovate. :(

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wiggle987

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Edited By wiggle987

@idiotic_genius1 said:

Still can't decide if i want to get this.

if you haven't bothered with the pc version, it's one hell of a time vampire, my game of choice whilst listening to the bombcast!

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Justin258

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@radioactivez0r said:

I just...don't get it. I never have. The idea of "here's a world, do whatever" is either too free-form or too restrictive (??) to me.

I said the same thing. Then I saw an ocean that was just begging for a floating castle atop it, so now my brother, my friend, and I are all attempting to build just that.

The game itself is also a bit relaxing; the soft music and repetitive actions lull you into not so much a trance as it is that Skyrim-ish "calm" feeling. If I could only find somewhere else to run the MC server so I could get the game back to running at 45 FPS on my laptop...

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Matoyak

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@alibson said:

I don't understand why would anyone get the console version. If they know what Minecraft is then they already have a PC to play it on.

People who haven't heard of it until now, people who want a co-op in-the-same room experience, people who already own Minecraft for PC and iPhone and Android and just want it again, people who have a computer that can't run the PC version (because it surprisingly takes a decent PC to run minecraft well), and so on and so forth.

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Cybexx

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Edited By Cybexx

Well considering Trials: Evolution was the previous record holder. That was fast. And Minecraft is $5 more expensive so its generating revenue at a faster rate per-user.

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Zaxex

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Edited By Zaxex

@clstirens: I agree. What I meant was that it's funny how those businessmen have been outdone by an independent studio. A good idea, built upon by intelligent, talented and passionate individuals has been crazily successful.

Perhaps companies will have to attempt to innovate now and then, rather than just jumping on bandwagons and proceeding to run those into the ground.

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Edited By Hamst3r

Sweet Jesus.

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Duxa

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isnt the Leaderboard number something that anyone that own the game can look at? The button is right there in the main menu.

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StealthRaptor

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It looks like Minecraft Guy can now be added to the roster of the eventual Super Xbox Smash Bros.

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I got it for free. SO SUCK ON THAT NOTCH!

I'm sorry.

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The_Last_Starfighter

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I noticed this when I logged on to Live this morning, Minecraft had over 50,000 reviews on xbox live in something like 12 hours, that's insane. If you want something to compare that number to take a look at Trials Evo. Staggering.

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sparklykiss

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The sequel will be Mine¢raft.

That's a terrible Micro$oft related joke. I'll just show myself out.

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Edited By Zippedbinders

As someone who wondered who the fuck this version was for, I guess I'm glad to see it do well. However, the universe also found it to tell a funny joke by throwing a code for it in my face. So, thanks raptr? I guess?

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@radioactivez0r said:

I just...don't get it. I never have. The idea of "here's a world, do whatever" is either too free-form or too restrictive (??) to me.

It's not exactly that, though. It's a lot like being plopped down in the world of Oblivion (or Skyrim I guess, but I haven't played that yet). Sure, you don't have an immediate quest marker telling you what you can do (though not what you should do), but a few objectives will make themselves known naturally. Your first experience will be one of bewilderment and the desire to learn about the world around you. At least the immediate surroundings so that you can feel safe. That leads to exploration, which is an objective and a fun activity in itself. Exploring also includes picking up and placing blocks, learning how the systems behave.
 
If you're still on an exploration high in time to watch the strangely beautiful sunset, your next task will be to fend off the infinite hordes of undead and giant bugs that now want to chew your face off. You'll fail and respawn where you first landed in the game. You will now have a strong feeling that you should try to avoid being outside at night - but there is no inside. Not unless you make one.
 
And that's when Minecraft has set its teeth in you. At this point you will have several ideas of things you want to do, everything from exploring to building to learning the combat and reaping the rewards. Not because the game told you, specifically, but because you've gradually begun to discover how the world works on your own, and now you want to know more. You feel at home enough to not want to leave your little square dirt hut (even by closing the game), but you're curious enough about what's outside that you make yourself brave the unknown.
 
I can imagine that this would be amplified if you had a friend to go through these phases with. The Xbox version, although a dated version of the game, will do well with this thanks to how it handles both local and online multiplayer. The PC version is also undergoing changes to the code in an attempt to unify single- and multiplayer. In Minecraft 1.3, drop-in drop-out coop should be available on PCs, as well. I'd recommend checking it out when we get to that point.
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MarkWahlberg

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That's million bucks.

I haven't played minecraft in a while. Apparently there are towns now? Maybe I should just play offline and not update...

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BPRJCTX

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Well, that sucks, Trials Evo deserved it much more.

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MikkaQ

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@Sparklykiss said:

The sequel will be Mine¢raft.

That's a terrible Micro$oft related joke. I'll just show myself out.

Yes, thank you. That is probably for the best.

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BananaHace

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Edited By BananaHace

Well hey considering the quality of the port so far, it'd be difficult NOT to profit off that.
 
/shotsfired

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TheRoadHead

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Edited By TheRoadHead

@Clarke: I'd say it's your computer. It almost never crashes on me and I'm usually running Skype and Fraps recording at 1080p. Make sure you have 64-bit Java installed or it will crash a crap ton.

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Slab64

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Edited By Slab64

Notch is the 1%

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selbie

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Edited By selbie

@Sparklykiss said:

The sequel will be Mi₦€₡Raƒ₮.

That's a terrible Micro$oft related joke. I'll just show myself out.

Fixed. Notch be trippin' money.

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ch3burashka

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Edited By ch3burashka

My absolute favorite thing about Minecraft's release is how the Fortresscraft guy is reacting. Kotaku reported his site got his by a DDOS attack, and he went slightly apeshit on twitter, accusing Notch and his fans of coordinating the effort. However, he still maintains his idea is original, or at least "as original" as Notch's. If I were him, I'd keep my damn head down and be eternally grateful I was able to cash in so blatantly on a game's popularity before it his the platform I release a knock-off on.

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sparklykiss

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Edited By sparklykiss

@selbie said:

@Sparklykiss said:

The sequel will be Mi₦€₡Raƒ₮.

That's a terrible Micro$oft related joke. I'll just show myself out.

Fixed. Notch be trippin' money.

That was a great one. You are my new second favorite person.

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Bunny_Fire

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Edited By Bunny_Fire

though i play needlecraft on the PC looking at people playing it here and in other places i was delightfully pressurised that it was so functional ...