Minecon wasn't quite the Minecraft celebration developer Markuss “Notch” Persson was expecting. In fact, it's the fallout that followed that's put it in many gaming sites' headlines - including Edge's . It seems Notch and Minecraft-centric video podcast Yogscast had something of a falling out at the show.
Seemingly, it all comes down to Yogscast's behaviour during Minecon. Notch started subtly without naming names, tweeting: “I'm very sorry about the behavior of the people we won't work with any more. Celebrity or not, you don't f-bomb kids.” This was rapidly followed up with, “Yes, Yogscast.”
Notch's comments infuriated some of Yogscast's 1.2 million YouTube subscribers, but the developer justified his tweets. “Yogscast repeatedly insulted people, talked behind their backs, refused to cooperate, and acted like total spoiled divas nonstop,” he tweeted. “They called us 'a bunch of nerds who don't know how to run a company', demanded that we pay them to come here (nobody else got paid).”
Yogscast have yet to respond to Notch's accusations - their latest tweet says: “give them 24 hours or so to create an official statement”. However, a post on Reddit retweeted by Yogscast defends the podcasters, reading: “I'm a little disappointed there is this much hate and discontent going about without folks knowing the whole story”. Another Reddit user and podcaster, John "TotalBiscuit" Bain reckoned it was all down to Yogscasts' cheekily British sense of humour , describing them as two "British guys that are known to take the piss".
It's a contentious situation, and one that could have come from the pages of a rock star's autobiography rather than a gaming convention. It's indicative of how much things have changed, too. These YouTube stars and game developers have been working on nothing more than virtual products, and both have become internet sensations on the back of one another. As Edge's Alex Wiltshire points out, “A relationship that was once simple and symbiotic has developed complications - and grown apart.”
General internet discussion believes overwhelmingly that the rift is little more than a misunderstanding between the two parties. But what do you guys think?
