Notch quits as Minecraft lead for "rest and new projects"

Minecraft indie maestro Markus "Notch" Persson has stepped down as lead developer of the game, handing the reins to Jens Bergensten with whom he's worked for the past year.

In a relatively brief blog post published today, Persson wrote.

"As of yesterday, Jens Bergensten is the new lead developer on Minecraft. He will have the final say in all design decisions, so he will kinda sorta become my boss, I guess. I’ve promised him to not pull rank. ;)

"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. And when we don’t agree, we discuss it and something much better comes out at a result. He’s truly a great person to work with, and I feel very confident handing over the leadership of Minecraft to him."

Notch will be taking some well-deserved time off, having recently launched Minecraft and racked up some impressive numbers as well as a rather special and unique token of recognition from Valve. Check out Nathan's examination of Notch's journey with the project.

But fear not, Notch will maintain an active role in the continued development of Minecraft, as well as setting his sights on some new projects after his break.

"Personally, I will now rest for a while, then get back to work refreshed and eager. I’ll be helping out with Minecraft, of course, but also starting work on some new project."

Happy holidays, sir.

Thanks, EG.