This side project turned into a $2.5 BILLION acquisition...
And it still makes nearly $400 million every year.
Here's how Minecraft exploded on the scene👇
1/ Word-of-mouth 🗣️
Markus Persson initially developed Minecraft in his spare time.
He released an early version of the game to a small community of players.
Early players started raving about it to their friends.
They not only provided feedback and helped shape the game's development.
But also shared their experiences and creations - which turned the FOMO factor up.
This in turn attracted even MORE new players, and Minecraft started to snowball and grow exponentially.
2/ Embracing User-Generated Content like no other 🤗
Minecraft let players add their own twist to the game with mods, maps, and resource packs.
If you spent your time building any of these, they also had a Minecraft Marketplace where you could sell the stuff you’ve created.
UGC builds loyalty by helping customers grow with brand.
And it’s the best way to turn your own users into spokespeople.
3/ Teaming up with YouTubers and Content Creators 📽️
Minecraft let content creators monetize their Minecraft-related videos, streams, and creations.
The result? Folks with millions of eyeballs were further incentivized to keep on creating Minecraft content.
That pushed the FOMO factor to the stratosphere and helped them become a hit amongst audiences all over the world.
4/ Teaching kids to code đź“š
Minecraft released an “education edition” with the support of teachers and schools.
The game was super fun to play on its own, so kids quickly started enjoying it.
This encouraged problem-solving, creativity, and collaboration amongst students whilst introducing them to coding.
Teachers shared lesson plans and resources within the Minecraft educational community, making it further skyrocket.
5/ Community-driven development 🤝
The best way to build a killer product is to listen to what people want.
Minecraft actively participated in discussions on community platforms like Reddit, Twitter, and the official Minecraft forums.
They created open dialogue between players and developers - which helped build trust and enabled the team to improve the game.
Players were happy since they got a better experience.
Developers were happy since they got direction on what to build.
And Minecraft was happy since their social clout increased exponentially.
It takes a tremendous amount of perseverance and dedication to build something as iconic as Minecraft.
But this Swedish dude never stopped listening to what the community wanted…
In turn, the love from the
propelled Minecraft
hashtag#FromGrassrootsToGreatness
🚀