[Update] Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition was "profitable in an hour," says Notch
Microsoft releases sales figures for record-breakers
Mojang certainly made the right decision by agreeing to co-develop Minecraft for 360, because the XBLA version was making a profit within an hour of release.
Creator and Mojang boss Markus "Notch" Persson dropped the bomb earlier today on Twitter:
"Well then. Saw the official sales numbers for the first 24 hours of Minecraft Xbox 360, and it's very, very good. Profitable in an hour."
4J Studios' console adaptation of Mojang's insanely popular adventure title also broke XBLA sales records within 24 hours of release, selling more than any other Xbox LIVE Arcade title. Just a few weeks ago, Trials Evolution held the crown, making Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition the second record-breaker in roughly three weeks. Guess this "Arcade NEXT" thing is really paying off for Microsoft.
Interestingly, FEZ developer Polytron still aren't privvy to sales numbers for their game, even a month after it hit LIVE. We think it's safe to assume Notch is just one hell of a negotiator, especially since his studio managed to talk Microsoft into allowing a limited number of free updates for Minecraft: Xbox 360 Edition.
Update: Pertaining to the two record-breaking titles, Trials and Minecraft, Microsoft did release sales figures for each game's release. RedLynx and Ubisoft's Trials Evolution was bought and downloaded 100,000 times within 24 hours of launch. Minecraft, on the other hand, sold 400,000 when it was released on XBLA weeks later.
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As for Notch being a good negotiator. It helps when you have a game that has sold 5.8 million copies on PC. That alone is leverage pretty much no other indie studio has and probably will never have.
I'm also impressed by these sales numbers.