Notch steps down as Minecraft lead

Markus "Notch" Persson is a name that has become intrinsically tied to the Mojang-developed sensation Minecraft. However, with Minecraft seeing full release for the PC on November 18, Notch is now stepping aside as lead developer on the game.

In a post to his blog this morning, Persson confirmed that Jens Bergensten took over lead developer duties yesterday. Persson also sought to reassure Minecraft devotees, saying that he and Bergensten have a similar vision as to where the game should go.

"We've been working together on Minecraft for a year now, and I'm amazed at how much in sync we two are when it comes to how to design the game," he said. "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."

Persson won't be vacating Minecraft development altogether, but he will be taking a vacation. Once back, he also plans to start working on "some new project."

Beyond Minecraft, Mojang's only other known projects are Scrolls and Cobalt, which is being codeveloped with Oxeye Game Studio. Currently the subject of a legal spat with Bethesda Softworks, Scrolls draws elements of its gameplay from collectible card games and board games.

Minecraft is expected to be available for the Xbox 360 in early 2012. For more on the game, check out GameSpot's review of the PC version.