John Thornton

John Thornton has extensive work experience in the gaming industry, particularly in their roles at Mojang Studios and Microsoft. John started their career at Microsoft as a Summer Intern in 1995. John later joined You vs. the Internet LLC as a Co-founder in 2010, where they contributed to the development of the popular game franchise Wordament. In 2011, they became a Cofounder and Creative Director at Microsoft's You vs. the Internet.

In 2014, Thornton joined Mojang Studios as an Executive Producer for the Minecraft Redmond Team, where they played a crucial role in integrating Mojang AB into Microsoft and building new lines of business including the Minecraft Marketplace, Minecraft Server partner program, and Minecraft Realms. John later became a Group Program Manager for the Minecraft Platform Team at Mojang, overseeing the production and strategy of the Minecraft: Bedrock platform.

In 2021, Thornton transitioned to the role of Head of Platform Engineering at Mojang and then became the Head of Games and Brand Production in 2022. As Head of Games Expansion, they currently manage the teams responsible for expanding the Minecraft games portfolio, including titles such as Minecraft Dungeons, Minecraft Legends, and various table top games.

Throughout their career, Thornton has showcased their expertise and leadership in the gaming industry, making notable contributions to the success and growth of both Mojang Studios and Microsoft.

John Thornton earned their Bachelor of Science (BS) degree in Computer Science from Purdue University, where they studied from 1993 to 1997.