They're not profiting. Not yet at least. Microsoft paid three billion for the game, not including production costs. To break even they need to sell either 100 million PC copies, approximately 230 million PE copies, or 150,000,000 console copies (based off the XBOX One and PlayStation 4), or obviously a mix of the above. Minecraft only hit 100,000,000 sales this past summer. I'm currently unable to look up the PE or console sales as I'm busy at the moment, but I can assure they have not hit 230 million or 150 million respectively, either before or after the sales. The PC edition peaked in 2014, as sales charts show (again, I cannot quote anything or include images, but I will try to do so soon). Minecraft PE was also doing well until this recently, in which it was pushed down from its spot as the number one game on the App Store (saleswise). I can't say for console editions, but I heard they started pushing that out a lot more. Hopefully that can pull in some more sales. However Minecraft has not and will not generate as much money as they have done in previous years. So no, they're not profiting from it, and it's not getting more popular.
I use to PvP a lot before coming on here. I always kinda liked the 1.8 version when there wasn't any OP things. I didn't like having the advantage, and I didn't want anyone else having it either. I don't get where people think that it requires 'spam clicking'. If you spam click and go straight towards an attacker you're probably going to die. Most decent pvp'ers will go around the target and not straight for them. Also, just because the strategy gets out, doesn't mean everyone would be able to use it. It depends on how you adapt to it. I liked this way of PvP. However 1.9+ ruined it for me. An axe is now better than a sword? I have no idea what the devs wee thinking. I will always stay in the 1.8.9 version. I find the others a waste.
Spam clicking can be overpowered, just look at one of technoblade's videos. He just spam block-hits (left and right click really fast together) and he is practically invincible, probably due to it doing extra knockback and him taking less damage from it. However. Strafing, and similar strategies are better in most cases. 1.9 is just a different style of pvp. It's kinda more realistic with times. Axes probably do more because if someone was smashed in the head with an axe it would probably do more than a sword's hit/slice, but the axe would need time to 'reset' whereas the sword is alot more maneuverable. I think the PvP side of the minecraft community support 1.9 alot more than people like us, skyblockers. (although personally i'd say I like pvp better but shh) I dunno, just different styles suit different people.
