'Minecraft' creator Markus "Notch" Persson has just closed on a $70 million home on tony Hillcrest Drive in Beverly Hills.
The 23,000-square-foot, Contemporary-style home, with a wall of glass that provides a 280-degree view of the City of Angels and the Pacific Ocean below, triggered a bidding war between four buyers. Persson quickly decided he wanted the home, paid all cash, and closed in six days, according to the agents who sold him the property.
Persson, a 35-year-old Swedish video game designer, became a billionaire in September when he sold his company, Mojang, to
“Once I got a decent job, I never really had to worry about money,” he wrote on Reddit last year. “Now, all of the sudden, as a result of how modern society works, I managed to somehow earn a s---*-ton of money.”
Persson’s new home lies in the Trousdale section of Beverly Hills, at 1108 North Hillcrest Drive, on one of the city’s most exclusive streets. Past and present neighbors include Jennifer Aniston, Ellen DeGeneres, Oakley founder Jim Jannard, and Ringo Starr. This summer TMZ reported that Beyonce and Jay Z looked at Persson's new home.
In what is a fairly unusual move for purchases at this price point, Persson disclosed that he was the buyer—and the price he paid--via a press release his real estate agent sent to media Thursday. “It’s a little bit of the dream come true,” said Sally Forster Jones of John Aaroe Group, who together with fellow agent Katia De Los Reyes represented Persson in the deal. “A young guy who goes and creates, sells, and makes all this money. This is a reward.”
The estate was a speculative (or “spec”) home, built without a committed buyer by QVC handbag-seller and Los Angeles home developer Bruce Makowsky, who listed the home for $85 million in September. It comes completely furnished—from Hermès chairs and throws, to Roberto Cavalli sheets, to 24 Cavalli-designed $3,700-per place settings, to a one-of-a-kind living room set designed by Bentley, according to the agents who brokered the deal. “I provided eight OralB 3D Braun toothbrushes,” said Branden Williams, the Hilton & Hyland agent who listed the home. “I’m tired of the line ‘Just bring your toothbrush.’”
One of the more impressive features of the home is a car lift, which moves cars to underground storage. Inside the home is an image of James Dean and a replica of his famed motorcycle; the home also comes with a chromed Ma Deuce machine gun. A candy room features large M&M's character sculptures; there is a bar and the home sale includes some cases of Dom Perignon. In addition to the ubiquitous Los Angeles infinity pool, this estate also boasts a large hot tub that Williams refers to as the "poolcuzzi." There is an 18-seat home theater and three high-definition 90-inch television screens. The home has eight bedrooms and 15 bathrooms, each bath equipped with a Toto Neorest toilet (which cost $5,600 per unit, according to the press release).
Persson also aired his views on piles of money on Reddit last year. "I think the right way to use money like this is to set a decent portion aside to make sure my family is comfortable, spend some on living out your dreams, and then try to put the rest towards making society a better place. For me, this includes charities that help children, and charities that help promote freedoms I think are vital in the coming dozens of years, such as the EFF." (EFF stands for Electronic Frontier Foundation, a San Francisco-based organization that seeks to protect online civil liberties, among other goals.)
