‘Indie games won’t make you rich’

He may be making thousands of dollars a day from download sales, but Minecraft creator Markus Persson is under no illusions: he knows he got lucky.

But he’s worried that his sudden success could create a distorted view of indie games – and has told Develop that ‘indie games won’t make you rich’.

in-depth Q&Aand profile piece about his success, fame and his fans with Develop, he said: "With regards the numbers and the money… One thing I’m trying very carefully these days to point out is definitely the luck factor.

"Because, sure, Minecraft did well but there are tons of other people who make interesting games and they don’t get the mass of users and don’t really take off. Timing issues count against them, or they talk to the wrong people or press or whatever so theres a big aspect of just luck."

He added: "I’m a bit afraid that people might start doing indie games because they think they can become rich. The global market means it’s very cheap to distribute, and if you’re very small with low costs you don’t have to sell many orders to make a profit.

"But becoming rich? As in all other businesses, it’s the same. Take music – you hear lots of talented musicians on YouTube but not many of them get a recording contract, but some who are talented, through a combination of luck and skill become popular, rich and mass produced."