PixlBit

The creator of the hottest indie game around names a new lead developer.

It’s been a big year for indie PC darling Minecraft and Mojang, the developer. The game is getting a console port to the 360 with Kinect support. Mojang won an interim injunction against Zenimax over the name of their next project, Scrolls. Oh, and Minecraft actually came out recently. Yes, for Markus “Notch” Persson, things are going well. With Minecraft already a multimillion seller, it’s only natural that Notch would step aside and put someone else in charge of the runaway hit that already has its own convention. Wait, what?

That’s right, earlier today on his personal blog, Notch revealed that fellow Mojang member Jens Bergensten is now the lead developer on Minecraft. “He will have the final say in all design decisions, so he will kinda sorta become my boss, I guess,” says Persson. “I’ve promised him to not pull rank.”

It’s a rather shocking move, and Minecraft has such a passionate community that has been behind Notch from the beginning, so this announcement could send them into a frenzy. Notch seems to have anticipated this, and allays any doubts that fans may have at the new name in charge of the game. “We’ve been working together on Minecraft for a year now, and I’m amazed at how much in synch we two are when it comes to how to design the game,” says Notch. “He’s truly a great person to work with, and I feel very confident handing over the leadership of Minecraft to him.”

So what’s next for Mr. Persson? He plans on taking a break, and then he wants to get back to work. He says he will continue to help out with Minecraft, but he will be starting a new project. He doesn’t say if this project is Scrolls, or something completely unheard of.