Minecraft creator banned from game’s 10th anniversary celebration over anti-LGBTQ comments
Markus "Notch" Persson has a history of making homophobic and transphobic statements
The creator of Minecraft has been banned from attending the game’s 10-year anniversary celebrations due to his homophobic and transphobic comments.
Markus “Notch” Persson, who designed and developed the multi-million selling crafting and adventure game, won’t be attending celebrations, with Microsoft — which now owns Minecraft — confirming that it’s due to Persson’s “comments and opinions.”
Speaking to Variety, a Microsoft spokesperson said that Persson’s “comments and opinions do not reflect those of Microsoft or Mojang [the game’s current developer] and are not representative of Minecraft.”
The spokesperson added that Persson has had no involvement with the game since selling it to Microsoft for $2.5 billion in 2014.
Persson’s banning from anniversary celebrations comes after an update to the game last month removed references to him from Minecraft‘s splash screen.
He has been heavily criticized for repeatedly making racist, homophobic, and transphobic statements on Twitter — which stands in stark contrast to the family and education-friendly image Microsoft has cultivated for Minecraft.
Persson, who also touts his support for conspiracy theories, has made multiple transphobic statements on the social media site.
Earlier this month, in response to a meme that said “trans women are women,” Persson said, “No. They feel like they are, and it’s serious, and deserves love.”
He also tweeted that people were “celebrating fucking body dysphoria.”
In a follow-up tweet, he added: “Making it illegal to use the wrong pronouns… they are the ones using the wrong pronouns fucking hell.”
Persson has also tweeted support for a “Heterosexual Pride Day,” as well as telling his 3.7 million followers that “it’s okay to be white.”
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