Rust Creator on Minecraft Sale: "I'd Have Done the Same Thing"

In the wake of Mojang's sale to Microsoft for $2.5 billion, some have criticized Minecraft creator Markus "Notch" Persson for "selling out." Facepunch Studios founder Garry Newman says he would have done the same thing in that position, and not just because it would mean becoming fabulously rich.

"Once you start hiring people your whole attitude changes," reads a blog post by Newman, who is best known for Rust and Garry's Mod. "You're not just f***ing about with your life anymore.. you're f***ing about with other people's lives--and the lives of their families. You can't just sell out and f*** everyone over."

"... it really isn't in [Microsoft's] favor to pay a s***load of money for it and then completely f*** it up" -- Garry Newman

"Companies like Blitz that go bust, don't pay people what they were owed, let 175 staff go, then started up under another name almost straight away," he continued, referencing last year's closure of Blitz Games Studios. "Those are the guys you don't want to be. I am sure more than the top guys at Mojang became very financially rich due to this deal and that's something that should be admired--not seen as a bad thing."

Were Newman put in the same position as Persson, things wouldn't have gone differently. "Long story short. I'd have done the same thing," Newman said. "The money is enough to very much take care of all the staff. The game is in relatively safe hands. Mojang's legacy is as a huge success story instead of a one-hit wonder. Everyone wins. Can you seriously say you'd have done it differently?"

In addition to the criticism over Persson's decision, some have openly wondered whether Microsoft is poised to now ruin Minecraft. Newman says this is "debatable," making a salient point: "I'm sure Microsoft didn't just buy it because they're struggling desperately to stay relevant and some of their kids play it a lot. But even if they did it really isn't in their favor to pay a s***load of money for it and then completely f*** it up. That wouldn't make any sense."

We don't yet know exactly what Microsoft's plans for Minecraft are, though we do know it doesn't plan on pulling it from competing platforms like iOS and PlayStation.

Yesterday's news that Microsoft was acquiring Mojang sparked a great deal of discussion in the games industry, some of which we've collected for you here. For more, check out GameSpot editor Rob Crossley's thoughts on the deal.