Markus Persson Quick Info | |
---|---|
Height | 5 ft 9 in |
Weight | 80 kg |
Date of Birth | June 1, 1979 |
Zodiac Sign | Gemini |
Eye Color | Green |
Markus Persson is a Swedish video game programmer and designer who is best known as the founder of the video game development company Mojang Studios through which he had created the popular sandbox video game Minecraft. He was the lead designer of the game until its official launch in 2011 after which he had transferred creative authority. He had left Mojang Studios in November 2014 after it was acquired by Microsoft for USD 2.5 billion. Microsoft had later dissociated from Markus after he had made a series of controversial tweets on race and gender. His journey was depicted in the 2012 documentary titled Minecraft: The Story of Mojang.
Born Name
Markus Alexej Persson
Nick Name
Notch
Sun Sign
Gemini
Born Place
Stockholm, Stockholm County, Sweden
Residence
Beverly Hills, Los Angeles County, California, United States
Nationality
Occupation
Video Game Programmer and Designer
Family
- Father – Karl Gösta Birger Persson (Former Railway Employee) (d. 2011)
- Mother – Ritva Päivikki Persson (née Rantala) (Former Nurse)
- Siblings – Anna Hemming Froeberg (Younger Sister)
- Others – Gösta Vilhelm Persson (Paternal Grandfather), Birgit Viola Fredriksson (Paternal Grandmother), Unto Jalmari Rantala (Maternal Grandfather), Kerttu Anna Määttä (Maternal Grandmother), Kristoffer Zetterstrand (Ex-Brother-in-Law) (Artist), Ingrid Maria Zetterstrand (Ex-Mother-in-Law), Erik Robert Haraldsen (Ex-Father-in-Law)
Net Worth
In June 2021, Markus Persson’s net worth was $1.8 billion according to Forbes.
Build
Average
Height
5 ft 9 in or 175 cm
Weight
80 kg or 176.5 lbs
Girlfriend / Spouse
Markus has dated –
- Elin Zetterstrand (2011–2012) – Markus had married Elin Zetterstrand on August 13, 2011, and they have a daughter together named Minna Almina Zelda Zetterstrand. Exactly a year later, in August 2012, he had announced that the couple had parted ways.
Race / Ethnicity
White
He is of Swedish descent on his father’s side and Finnish descent on his mother’s side.
Hair Color
Bald
Eye Color
Green
Sexual Orientation
Straight
Distinctive Features
- Stocky frame
- Sports a thick beard
- Affable smile
Markus Persson Facts
- Born in Stockholm, Markus had spent the majority of the first 7 years of his life in Edsbyn, Gävleborg County, before his family had returned to Stockholm. This is when he had started programming on his father’s Commodore 128 (the last 8-bit home computer that was commercially released by Commodore Business Machines (CBM)) home computer.
- A year later, aged 8, after having experimented with various type-in programs, he had produced a text-based adventure game, his first creation.
- Before founding Mojang Studios in 2009, he had worked as a game developer for King Digital Entertainment, a video game developer in St. Julian’s, Malta, for about 4 years. He had also worked as a programmer for jAlbum, a cross-platform photo website software for creating and uploading galleries from images and videos.
- Markus was also one of the founders of Wurm Online, a 3D massively multiplayer online video game developed by the Swedish video game developer Code Club AB (formerly known as Onetoofree AB).
- He is a member of the Swedish chapter of Mensa, the largest and oldest high IQ society in the world. The organization is open to people who score at the 98th percentile or higher on a standardized, supervised IQ test.
- When he had purchased a home in Trousdale Estates, Beverly Hills, California, in December 2014, for USD 70 million, it was a record sales price for a Beverly Hills home at that time.
Featured Image by Markus Persson / Instagram