Is Notch Really Making Minecraft 2?

Popular video game dev Notch has stirred up the internet by “basically announcing Minecraft 2”, but the community still has many questions about what he means.

Notch Hints at Potential Game Fans Dubbed Minecraft 2

Minecraft 2 has long been somewhat of a meme in the fandom and the gaming community as a whole. The game we have now has had regular updates since it was first in early access more than a decade and a half ago. Despite that, many have been wondering if there will ever be a second separate iteration of the game.

However, in some recent posts on Twitter, Minecraft creator Markus “Notch” Persson has teased the potential development of “Minecraft 2” or at least a spiritual successor of the original game. The game dev ran a poll asking followers to weigh in on whether he should keep his in-development project’s current direction, or put it on the shelf to make something more like Minecraft. Naturally, the poll showed overwhelming support for the latter, with that option getting over 80% of the vote.

Honest and legitimate request for feedback for once:

The new game I’m passionately working on is currently set to be a traditional roguelike (i.e. ADOM, nethack, etc) mixed with a tile based first person dungeon crawler (ie Legend of Grimrock (esp 2), Eye of the Beholder)

But…

— notch (@notch) January 1, 2025

Of course, Notch can’t even name the game Minecraft 2 due to copyright reasons. He sold Mojang back in 2014 for $2.5 billion, parting ways with the game and the company, along with the naming rights. Since then, Notch has led quite a bizarre life and has often complained about various mental health issues all the while being involved in some minor online scandals.

Despite that, the dev now seems to be back on track. He has been working on another title called Levers and Chests, a first-person rogue-like shooter along with BitShift Entertainment, the new studio he created some time ago.

However, a spiritual successor to Minecraft would likely be something way different than what Notch is currently working on.

What Was the Fans’ Reaction?

With the popularity that Minecraft enjoys, one would think that there would be a ton of hype surrounding Notch’s announcement. However, the developer’s words were met more with confusion rather than overwhelming excitement. In previous years, rumors of Minecraft 2 being in development have always been debunked, and realistically speaking, unless Mojang and Microsoft announce such a game, we won’t be getting such a title.

When Notch asked fans about the previously mentioned poll, many replied in the comments that the dev should simply make whatever game he wants. He’s a billionaire so technically he has the funds to create almost anything. “You have FU money. Make what makes you happy playing!  The happier you are, the higher chances others will be,” one comment reads. “do both,” another laconically said.

Of course, many popular YouTubers also jumped on the discussion and their comment sections are also a hive of activity.

Many joked that we would be getting Minecraft 2 before GTA VI6 is released. One particularly funny comment that jumped at me was as follows: “Now the question is: who’s gonna be first?

-Notch with Minecraft 2

-Valve with any kind of Half-Life game

-Rockstar with GTA 6

-or YandereDev with… anything that’s finished actually…”

(This comment also reminded me that Valve might be currently playtesting Half-Life 3 according to some reputable leaks, and if that’s really the case, it will explode the internet.”)

If we need to summarize the reaction of the community, it is that it’s cautious optimism that Notch will make an interesting new game, that will NOT be called Minecraft 2. The fans seem to understand that this is impossible due to IP and copyright reasons. However, many seem genuinely interested in what Notch might reveal in the future.

So, is Minecraft 2 Actually a Thing? And Do We Need It?

The short answers are not really and perhaps but not necessary. While Notch seems poised on making a spiritual successor to the original game, it obviously cannot be called Minecraft 2, unless he strikes some kind of deal with Microsoft.

But even if we get a game called that, the question is do we really need it? Sure, Minecraft isn’t perfect, but it has already been worked on for more than a decade and a half at this point. It has spawned numerous clones (often bad ones), but it has also been instrumental in the development of the survival crafting genre of games as a whole. Now there are numerous successful survival tiles out there, the majority of which saw the light of day in the early 2010s onwards following Minecraft’s success.

Speaking of the influence of gaming as a whole that the game has had, there have been several spin-offs using the IP. However, these ones have often been met with harsh criticism (cough, Minecraft Legends, cough). Even some popular non-Minecraft channels such as Lessons in Meme Culture asked if a Minecraft 2 is needed in their latest video on the viral discussion.

Let’s also talk about the modding community and the huge impact it has had on the game as a whole. Modding has been a huge part of the fandom since the beta days of Minecraft and is still fundamental today. With the literally thousands of mods available for the game right now you can customize your playing experience in an almost limitless way.

Whatever Notch is planning to do, two things are certain – any new potential game will not be called Minecraft 2, and whatever it is, the developer will have a difficult challenge of making something equal to the modern-day legend he himself created all those years ago.