Markus “Notch” Persson, the original creator of Minecraft, has hinted at the possibility of creating a spiritual successor to the world’s best-selling video game in an unconventional manner.
Recently, Notch took to social media to poll his followers on whether he should continue developing a “traditional roguelike” featuring “tile-based first-person” dungeon crawling or pivot to creating a “spiritual successor to Minecraft.” Unsurprisingly, the poll leaned heavily toward the Minecraft-inspired option, with 77% of voters in favor.
In a follow-up tweet—later deleted but archived elsewhere—Notch expressed enthusiasm for the idea. “I basically announced Minecraft 2,” he wrote, adding that he was enjoying game development again and felt there might be a demand for another game similar to Minecraft. However, he also acknowledged the challenges of creating a spiritual successor, noting that such projects often feel “washed up” and “tragic,” fears he’s determined to avoid.
Despite this, Notch emphasized that any new project would steer clear of infringing on Mojang Studios or Microsoft’s work. “I also intend to do this in a way that in no way [tries] to sneakily infringe on the incredible work the Mojang team is doing and that Microsoft is successfully doing,” he stated. This approach is understandable, as Notch sold Minecraft and Mojang to Microsoft for $2.5 billion nearly a decade ago, making him a billionaire.
It’s worth noting that Notch hasn’t released a major game since stepping away from Minecraft ten years ago, despite founding another studio to pursue new projects. There’s significant skepticism about whether this so-called “Minecraft 2” will ever materialize. Furthermore, Notch’s legacy has been marred by controversy, including his removal from Minecraft credits due to inflammatory statements dating back to 2016, such as supporting a “straight pride month,” endorsing the QAnon conspiracy theory, and making transphobic remarks.
