Abstract

The case “Minecraft: Using Social Media to Create a Successful Game” primarily describes Markus Persson’s (Persson) journey in developing a successful game, using social media. The case starts out describing Persson’s early career as a game developer, how he came to create Minecraft, and the unique approach he adopted by releasing it while still under development. It clearly details the role played by social media in the game’s eventual success, which included marketing, funding, and then molding the development process. The case then tracks the growing success of Minecraft and the eventual creation of the company, Mojang AB, to manage its sales. The case also mentions Persson’s unique take on piracy in the games industry and his intentions to keep Mojang as an independent game company. The case concludes with a description of the future endeavors of Persson and Mojang.

Learning Objectives

The case is structured to achieve the following Learning Objectives:

• To analyze a new business model in game development
• To understand the increasing role played by social media as a marketing tool
• To recognize the new role being played by customers as collaborators and co-creators of value
• To appreciate the active dialogue with customers that shapes expectations and creates a buzz
• To identify the new methods being adopted to deal with piracy and IP infringement

Keywords

Minecraft, Mojang, Social Media, Game Development, Piracy, IP Infringement, Collaborators, Co-creators of value, Marketing Buzz, Independent Game Developer, Notch, Sandbox games, Alpha version , Beta Version, Minecraft Community, Minepedia, Venture Capital, Lego, SOPA, DMCA, Games Publisher