Minecraft – The Return

Ryder Paris, Staff Writer|October 11, 2019

Deep within the depths of Bill Gates’ 49-story Himalayan money mansion sits a scroll of immense legendary awesomeness. It tells of a game, a great game; nay, the best game ever created. Originally developed by game designer Markus Persson (a.k.a Notch) and released in 2009 to universal critical acclaim, Minecraft quickly became a staple in the survival video game genre. Averaging roughly around 53,000 copies sold per day as of 2016, this monster of consumable media-dominated gaming sales charts around the world. And then… it vanished. The end of 2016 saw the fall of a gaming tyrant. Nobody cared about Notch’s dreamchild anymore, it was all about fidget spinners, or whatever the kids were into 3 years ago, I don’t know.
Minecraft’s decline could be attributed to many factors. Perhaps it was its purchase by big boy corporation Microsoft for the low price of 2.5 BILLION DOLLARS that detracted from the game’s overall niche appeal. Or maybe it was the decline of Youtube promotion, a major factor in the title’s original sales. Whatever the case, Minecraft’s popularity dwindled, leading Mr. Gate’s to hide it away deep within the Himalayas, likely never to be seen again… but Bill must have forgotten to lock the Himalayan vaults because Minecraft is back in action, baby! WOOOOOOO!
After two years of steady decline, a sudden spike in media attention has led many to wonder: just what exactly lead to the resurrection of this entertainment icon? The most obvious reason for Minecraft’s abrupt resurgence can be attributed to popular Swedish influencer Felix Kjellberg, also known as PewDiePie. Felix’s 30 part and counting Minecraft Let’s Play series has garnered over 30 million views on Youtube, and has likely resulted in an increase in public awareness towards the game. And any analyst can tell you awareness drives sales. Unfortunately, Microsoft has been more than apprehensive when it comes to releasing Minecraft’s current sales numbers to the public, but the fact that the survival-builder topped the best selling games list not a month after it’s media spike speaks for itself. Not only is Minecraft booming in popularity, it is booming economically. And I hope that last sentence makes Bill think twice before archiving our national treasure ever again.