Microsoft Replaces Minecraft Head. Players Fear Monetization Changes

Xbox head Asha Sharma informed employees about the appointment of the new head of Mojang. Maria Angelidou-Smith will assume her duties on October 19 and will report directly to her. 

The new head of Mojang specializes in digital product development. For almost ten years, she worked at Meta* with content creators and monetization, and then moved to Personio and Reddit.

Sharma noted that Mojang already has a strong development team, so Xbox was looking for a specialist in developing large communities and the commercial component of products. According to her data, Minecraft sales have exceeded 425 million copies, and on average, more than 300 thousand people launch the game for the first time daily.

The reshuffle comes before a new stage in Minecraft's development: in 2027, the game is expected to receive The Sift, the first new dimension in over 14 years. Microsoft has not yet announced any changes to monetization, although the emphasis on this area may alarm players.