You’ve probably heard or played the famous game Minecraft, but what is the history behind it. The development began in the year 2009, when Markus ‘Notch’ Persson had an idea for a video game. According to Alex Cox, a journalist from TechRadar, Persson was working on a “Dungeon Keeper/Dwarf Fortress/Rollercoaster Tycoon combo … named RubyDung.” Not satisfied with his original production of RubyDung, Persson discovered Infiniminer. Infiniminer was created by Zachtronics, and was a sandbox game where players could excavate and construct with blocks. Inspired by this multiplayer game, Persson combined the concept of Infiniminer with RubyDung, ultimately resulting in the game we know today as Minecraft.
The first version released from the game resulted in a success, generating positive reactions and leading to the addition of new features like sand, water and lava. The successful game continued to undergo serious developments, one in which Persson decided to develop the Alpha version of the game. This new version included the popular survival mode with the addition of creepers, a multiplayer feature for survival mode, mobs, crafting, biomes, and the nether dimension. This and many other new features were added to the Alpha version of Minecraft, however that wasn’t the only difference form the classic creative version, that is because users would need a premium account. This was because Persson thought that “if I don’t charge, I’ll never get paid.” Persson didn’t mean this in a selfish way, as achieving the completion of the game wouldn’t be possible if there weren’t enough funds to keep developing it. The addition of new features marked multiple boosts in sales. The game’s versatility led to the registration of millions of accounts.
Persson didn’t stop there, later creating an iOS and Android version for users. The java version of the game was also upgraded, and now had an ending to the story (while new features also continued to be added). After this, Notch decided to leave the maintenance of the game to a developer named Jeb. Jeb has been responsible for keeping the game running and improving to this day.
Minecraft continues to be a success outside of the gaming world, becoming affiliated with lego, crocs and many other brands. And most recently, A Minecraft Movie was released in 2025. That being said, the small sandbox game that Notch developed has been a successful, timeless videogame, that has maintained its popularity throughout the years. For almost a decade, Minecraft has been loved by millions of users, and that won’t be changing anytime soon.
Source: Cox, A. (2020, September 4). The history of Minecraft-the best selling PC game ever. Retrieved October 9, 2025, from TechRadar website: https://www.techradar.com/news/the-history-of-minecraft
