These figures were revealed by Persson when answering an “Ask Me Anything” question on Reddit.
In the Reddit answer, Persson also notes that this is net revenue, and the actual income is reduced by Paypal fees and taxes, as well as unmentioned distribution costs. “But it’s still a huge wad of money,” he notes.
He goes on to say, ”I’ve always had a tendency to feel like I’m just not quite keeping up with demands, even before starting work on Minecraft. It’s not gotten better by having a runaway hit like this.”
There was some advice for neophyte developers too. ”Start with just making games to get used to it,” he said. ”Focus on the details. What makes a jump animation feel good? What is a good main menu? Try to finish a few projects.”