GDC: Notch is the industry’s Justin Bieber, says Cliffy B

According to Epic Games’ Cliff Bleszinski Minecraft creator Markus ‘Notch’ Persson is something of a games development equivalent to teenage pop star Justin Bieber.

The Gears of War lead suggested that, despite the negative connotations a comparison with Bieber might carry for some, it was something that many young indies would be wise to do.

"Notch is the games industry’s Justin Bieber right now," Bleszinski told Develop. "Let me walk you through this. Justin Bieber has exploded, and Justin Bieber, as much as many want to hate him, is a very talented guy.

"If you did a Venn diagram of Minecraft fans and Bieber fans, I’ve no idea what that would look like, but each one via the internet has been born into a seemingly over night success, even though it likely took a huge effort over a very long time."

Bleszinski elaborated that Notch has a celebrity image, a success, and a public persona that has allowed him to reach a status once the exclusive realm of triple-A developers from large games development organisations

"Being like that can help put you in the spotlight." Bleszinski later added. "Notch and Minecraft deserve every success they have."

He also insisted that the rise of the indie is something that, in time, can be beneficial to both established traditional studios and the new stars of independent games development, as the two learn to work in tandem.

A full interview will be published soon here on Develop.

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