Advertisement

Minecraft's Markus Persson Moans About Wealth

The creator of Minecraft has raised eyebrows by complaining about being rich, saying it has left him lonely and lacking in motivation.

Billionaire Markus Persson has posted a series of messages on Twitter that appear to confirm the old mantra that money does not buy you happiness.

In one tweet, Mr Persson wrote: "The problem with getting everything is you run out of reasons to keep trying, and human interaction becomes impossible due to imbalance."

In another, the 36-year-old said he had "never felt more isolated" than when he was partying with friends and famous people in Ibiza.

Mr Persson also complained about waiting for his friends to finish work, saying he sat around "watching my reflection in the monitor".

Later, after some news organisations picked up on his messages, Mr Persson posted another tweet, saying: "To people out there with real problems: I'm sorry the whining of a newly wealthy programmer gets more attention than yours. Stay strong."

The messages were met with support from many users.

Some suggested he try philanthropy, while others assured him he had brought joy to many through Minecraft, a game in which players can build and explore a virtual Lego-like world.

The hugely-popular game has been downloaded more than 100 million times on PCs alone since it launched online in 2009.

The Swedish programmer sold his company Mojang to Microsoft for $2.5bn (£1.6bn) last September.

He was accused by some fans of selling out, but Mr Persson said the deal was not about the money.

Mr Persson said he never made the game to have a huge hit and expressed frustration at having become a "symbol".

Two months later, he outbid Beyonce and Jay Z for a Beverly Hills mansion that offers stunning views of Los Angeles and Malibu beach.

Mr Persson reportedly paid $70m (£45m) in cash for the 23,000sq-ft property, closing the deal in just six days.

Persson, who won the Special Award at the Game BAFTA awards in 2012, is a member of Sweden's Mensa and also makes electronic music.

He was previously married, but the relationship ended in 2012.