Notch and Yogscast settle disputes

Graphic from "Inside Gaming Daily"

The Yogscast released their official statement last week about what occured at Minecon.

In the statement they said they were surprised at Markus "Notch" Persson's tweets.
"We are very disappointed by these tweets from someone we admire and respect. We can understand that it was the morning after the deadmau5 party and Notch was very tired, but we are still fairly upset," the statement said.

The Yogscast also denied a lot of allegations.
"Out of all the tweets that Notch sent out, most hurtful was the accusation that we told a kid to “f*** off” and crossed out another signature – which is something we would never ever do," the statement said.

It continued: "The quotes and actions that Notch attributed to us were not said by us or published anywhere by us. Therefore we are surprised and confused about where this stuff has come from - especially since the only time we spoke to Notch was at the interview."
But the Yogscast did admit to swearing at the show and using the F-word, but they pointed out that Mojang failed to give them instructions regarding that. They also said Mojang had sold rights to the Yogscast livestream without informing Yogscast.
The official statement ellicited an apology from Notch.
"It's likely the entire Yogscast scenario is just stress-related misunderstanding. I apologize for bringing it online before talking to them," Notch tweeted during Thanksgiving weekend.
The attacks on Notch from Yogscast fans gradually ceased. But to any that still came, Notch replied "I've already apologized."
Many fans support both Notch and Yogscast and were worried to see their relationship failing. Those fans are relieved to see them resolve their differences. But some fans wonder if Notch and the Yogscast staged the conflict as a publicity stunt.
Notch and the Yogscast were some of the first gamers to reach celebrity status. Game creators are not usually as well-known as the game they create. Since they have celebrity-status, it would not be surprising if this all was a publicity stunt.
Here is the Yogscast's official statement: http://www.reddit.com/r/Minecraft/comments/mnau9/yogscast_response_to_notchs_twitterings/

Yogscast and Notch no more?

While Markus "Notch" Persson, the creator of Minecraft, is a rising celebrity among independent gamers, and the Yogscast are rising celebrities among YouTube viewers, it seems that the two entities have less in common than everyone thought.

At the first - and probably only - Minecraft convention, drama seemed to surround Simon Lane and Lewis Brindley of the Yogscast. In October, the Yogscast claimed their YouTube Minecraft series to be one of the reasons Minecraft has become so popular.

Mojang invited the Yogscast to attend Minecon and put on a panel there. Mojang claims that the Yogscast demanded to be paid while no other speakers at the convention were compensated.

Notch 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)."

Notch tweeted a total of 8 tweets on November 11 just about this conflict.

Apparently it all started when the Yogscast said the F-word to a child. The Yogscast has not commented on the matter yet, but Notch tweeted: "A kid wanted them to sign something I had signed, and they said they'd cross it out and put 'f*** you' there instead."

"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," he said. Then verified who he was referring to by tweeting: "Yes, Yogscast."

Notch said that the Yogscast "repeatedly insulted people, talked behind their backs, refused to cooperate, and acted like total spoiled divas nonstop."

There has been much bantering between Minecraft fans on reddit.com and other forums. While some Minecraft attendees claim to have been treated poorly by the Yogscast, others shared positive experiences.

Notch has been receiving angry comments from thousands of "Yognaughts.

"Wow. Hate, insults and threats are flooding in from Yogscast fans," Notch said.

The Yogscast has not yet commented on the matter. MintyMinute, Yogscast's main administrator has been handling questions while Lane and Brindley consult with their P.R. and write an official statement.

"An Official statement/Vlog will be released when Simon, Lewis and Hannah return from Las Vegas to clarify what has happened. Hopefully this will clear everything up for everyone," MintyMinute posted on the Yogscast's facebook fan page.

"we aren't stalling in any way, we merely want to draft a coherent response, instead of raging in a con-flu/jet lagged state - have patience!" the Yogscast tweeted.

They followed up an hour ago with: "Still drafting what we want to say, between naps and calls to V.I.P.s - we want to give you the clearest idea of what went down."

Fans on both sides of the conflict continue to rage on over forums and tweets. And there have been reports of fans pretending to be the Yogscast and commenting on the forums. But the Yogscast said they have not taken any position or commented about it at all yet.

So fans await the Yogscast's statement.

Evolution of Minecraft video at Minecon

Minecon began with a 6 minute video showing the evolution of Minecraft, starting from the very beginning.

Here is the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pvMzmaDnO2s&feature=channel_video_title

Minecon starts

Today marked the second and final day of Mojang's first Minecraft Convention.

Yesterday, day 1, Markus Notch Persson, the creator of Minecraft addressed fans, and announced the official release of Minecraft. Yesterday also featured keynote speakers and breakout sessions about various aspects of Minecraft and YouTube.

Today, Simon Lane and Lewis Brindley from the YouTube sensation, Yogscast, addressed fans in a breakout session and signed autographs afterwards.

Mojang will end Minecon tonight with the "Into the Nether" party, only for adults 21 and older, at the Wynn Hotel.

Everyone who went to Minecon received goodie bags featuring various handouts from mod creators and server hosts.

The bags also held Minecraft-themed bottles of Jones soda, mousepads, 3D cardboard cutouts of the classic player skin and some blocks, opportunities to win items like an Xbox or a gaming PC, and the item everyone wanted most - the cape for players' in-game characters.

Minecon to be hosted in Las Vegas

Minecraft fans have long waited for this event.  The first Minecraft conference, and the official release of Minecraft. 

Gaming commentators across the country have been posting videos of the recent patch updates, and are eagerly waiting the official release.  That’s not the only thing exciting about Minecon though.

Participants of Minecon will enjoy costume contests, build contests and classes.  There will also be speeches from different developers and gamers, most importantly a speech by Markus "Notch" Persson, the developer of Minecraft. And the middle of the exhibition floor will feature an indie game theater for independent game developers to show off their games.

Mojang recently announced another bonus: all Minecon attendees will receive free alpha codes for the games Scrolls and Cobalt when they are released.

Everyone on the Mojang gaming company team will be staying for the conference.  Many YouTube gaming commentators will be going.  ChimneySwift has talked about going, and the Yogscast is considering it but has not yet confirmed.

Minecon will be held from November 18 to 19 at the Mandalay Bay Hotel and Casino in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Tickets bought before September 30 will cost $99 and after that will cost $139.

The conference will be all-ages, but anyone 16-years-old or younger must have an adult chaperon.  And anyone wishing to reserve a room at the hotel must be atleast 18-years-old.  For a limited time, the room rates are $69 for Wednesday, Thursday and Sunday, and $99 for Friday and Saturday.


The full schedule has not been confirmed, but the following times have:
Friday:
10 a.m.: Doors open
1 p.m.: First keynote speaker
Friday and Saturday nights: parties for 21 years and older.

For more updates, check these websites:
Minecon website: http://minecon.mojang.com/
Hotel reservations: https://resweb.passkey.com/Resweb.do?mode=welcome_gi_new&groupID=3651403
Mojang website: http://mojang.com/