Who Created Minecraft? The Story of Markus Persson and Mojang

Markus Persson: Early Life and Career

Markus Alexej Persson was born on June 1, 1979, in Stockholm, Sweden. He began programming at age seven on a Commodore 128 and wrote his first game (a text-based adventure) by age eight. He spent his teenage years making small games and participating in the demoscene, a computer art subculture focused on producing audiovisual demonstrations.

Before Minecraft, Persson worked at several game companies. He spent four years at Midasplayer (later renamed King), where he worked on web-based games. He also co-developed Wurm Online, a sandbox MMORPG, with Rolf Jansson between 2003 and 2007. These experiences with online multiplayer games and sandbox design directly informed Minecraft's development.

Persson was known online by his handle Notch, a name he used across forums, IRC channels, and later Twitter. This username became so associated with Minecraft that many players know him only by his alias.

Creating the Prototype (May 2009)

In early May 2009, Persson began prototyping a 3D block-based game in Java. Inspired primarily by Infiniminer (a block-based multiplayer mining game by Zachtronics), he wanted to build a game that combined block-building with survival gameplay in a procedurally generated world. He worked on the prototype during evenings and weekends while still employed at King.

The first public build went live on May 17, 2009. Persson posted it on the TIGSource forums, a popular indie game development community. The response was immediate: players loved the simple act of placing and destroying blocks in a 3D world. Within weeks, the game had thousands of players and was generating organic word-of-mouth on forums and early social media.

Persson iterated rapidly, releasing new versions several times per week. He added survival mechanics, crafting, mobs, and a day-night cycle over the following months. Each addition drove more players to the game, and community feedback directly shaped development priorities.

Going Independent and Founding Mojang

By late 2009, Minecraft's revenue from game sales was significant enough for Persson to consider leaving King. He formally quit his job in 2010 to work on Minecraft full-time. In September 2010, he co-founded Mojang Specifications AB (later Mojang AB) with Jakob Porser (a friend and fellow game developer) and Carl Manneh (who served as CEO). The company was based in Stockholm.

Mojang's first office was a small space in Stockholm that the team quickly outgrew. The company hired developers, artists, and community managers as Minecraft's sales accelerated. Among the earliest and most important hires was Jens Bergensten (known as Jeb), who joined on November 10, 2010.

Jens Bergensten and the Handoff

Jens Bergensten, born on May 18, 1982, joined Mojang as a game developer. He had previously worked at game studios in Sweden and had experience with Java-based game development. At Mojang he began contributing to Minecraft immediately, working on features like pistons (1.7 Beta), wolves, and the Adventure Update (1.8 Beta).

Throughout 2011, Persson gradually delegated more development responsibility to Bergensten. By the time of Minecraft's official 1.0 launch on November 18, 2011, Bergensten was handling most of the day-to-day development work. In December 2011, Persson officially announced that Bergensten was taking over as lead developer of Minecraft.

Persson shifted his focus to other projects within Mojang, including 0x10c, a space-themed game that was eventually cancelled in 2013. He remained at the company but was no longer involved in Minecraft's development decisions.

Persson's Relationship with Fame

As Minecraft's popularity grew, Persson became an increasingly public figure. He was active on Twitter, where he engaged directly with players, shared development updates, and occasionally made personal statements. His Twitter presence made him one of the first game developers to build a direct relationship with millions of players through social media.

However, Persson expressed discomfort with the scale of attention Minecraft brought. In multiple public statements, he described feeling overwhelmed by the responsibility of running a company whose product was used by tens of millions of people. He found the scrutiny of being a public figure difficult and has spoken about the personal challenges that came with sudden wealth and fame.

The Decision to Sell

In the summer of 2014, a dispute with members of the Minecraft modding community over the game's End User License Agreement (EULA) brought renewed scrutiny. Mojang had tightened EULA enforcement to prevent servers from selling gameplay advantages (pay-to-win monetization), which some server operators opposed. The backlash directed at Persson personally contributed to his decision to explore selling the company.

On September 15, 2014, Microsoft announced it would acquire Mojang for $2.5 billion. Persson, Porser, and Manneh left the company when the deal closed on November 6, 2014. In a farewell blog post, Persson explained that he did not want the responsibility of being a symbol for a massive company and preferred to return to making small experimental games.

Post-Mojang

After leaving Mojang, Persson continued to experiment with small game prototypes, most shared publicly through his website or social media. He did not release another commercial game of Minecraft's scale. He has largely withdrawn from public life in the years since the acquisition.

References to "Notch" were removed from the Minecraft splash screen in 2019 (splash texts are the yellow messages on the title screen). Mojang has not commented extensively on the removal.

The Other Creators

While Persson created the original game, Minecraft as it exists today is the product of hundreds of developers, artists, designers, and community managers at Mojang Studios. Key contributors include:

• Jens Bergensten (Jeb): Lead developer from December 2011 until 2024. Oversaw every major update from 1.1 through 1.21.
• Nathan Adams (Dinnerbone): Developer who joined in 2012 and worked extensively on internal systems, data packs, and the technical backend.
• Erik Broes (Grum): Developer focused on server architecture and multiplayer systems.
• Agnes Larsson: Game director who helped shape the direction of major updates.
• Daniel Rosenfeld (C418): Composer of Minecraft's original soundtrack, including iconic tracks like "Sweden" and "Wet Hands." His music defined the game's atmosphere for over a decade.
• Jasper Boerstra (JAPPA): Artist responsible for the texture overhaul introduced in 1.14.

Frequently Asked Questions

Did one person create Minecraft?

Markus Persson created the original prototype and developed the game largely solo from May 2009 through late 2010. After founding Mojang and hiring a team, development became collaborative. Jens Bergensten became lead developer in December 2011 and led the team for over a decade.

Is Notch still involved with Minecraft?

No. Persson left Mojang when Microsoft acquired the company in November 2014. He has had no involvement in Minecraft's development since then.

Why did Notch sell Minecraft?

Persson cited personal discomfort with the scale of public attention and responsibility that came with running a company behind one of the world's most popular games. He stated he wanted to return to making small experimental games.

Who is the lead developer of Minecraft now?

Jens Bergensten served as lead developer from 2011 to 2024. Development is now managed by the broader team at Mojang Studios under Microsoft.

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