{{Infobox person
|image = Notch.jpg
|imagesize = 250px
|real_name = Markus Alexej Persson
|date_of_birth = {{Birth date and age|1979|6|1|mf=yes}}
|dob_suffix = <ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210524201820/https://notch.tumblr.com/post/113753678/turning-30-is-scary|title=Turning 30 is scary.|website=The Word of Notch|date=May 27, 2009}}</ref>
|occupation = Game developer
|nationality = Swedish
|known_for = Creating ''Minecraft'', founder of Mojang Studios
|also_known_as = Notch
|twitter = notch
|reddit = xNotch
|youtube = Markus Persson
|youtubecode = _notch
|minecraft_name = Notch
}}

'''Markus Alexej Persson''', more commonly known under the alias '''Notch''', is the creator of ''[[Minecraft]]'' and one of the founders of [[Mojang Studios]].

== Biography ==
Persson started programming at the age of seven, using his father's Commodore 128. He produced his first game (a text-adventure) at the age of eight, with the help of type-in programs. In 2005 he started working as a game developer for King.com,<ref name="GSint">{{cite|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/27719/Interview_Markus_Notch_Persson_Talks_Making_Minecraft.php|title=Interview: Markus 'Notch' Persson Talks Making Minecraft|website=Gamasutra|author=Alex Handy|date=23 March 2010}}</ref> which he left in 2009 to work as a programmer at Jalbum. He is also one of the founders of ''[[Wurm Online]]''.<ref>{{cite|url=http://www.gamasutra.com/view/pressreleases/164329/MINECRAFT_MASTERMIND_MARKUS_PERSSON_TO_RECEIVE_BAFTA_SPECIALAWARD.php|title=Minecraft Mastermind Markus Persson To Receive Bafta Special Award|website=Gamasutra|author=Kristoff Clark|date=5 March 2012}}</ref> After ''Minecraft'' sales grew, he moved from full-time to part-time at Jalbum and then eventually left to focus full-time on ''Minecraft'' in June 2010; many of the original Mojang employees (including former CEO [[Carl Manneh]]) were also ex-Jalbum employees. After the full release of ''Minecraft'' ([[Java Edition 1.0.0|1.0.0]]), Persson transferred creative authority of the game's development to [[Jens Bergensten]],<ref>{{cite|url=http://www.joystiq.com/2011/12/02/notch-steps-down-as-lead-developer-on-minecraft-to-focus-on-new |title=Notch steps down as lead developer on Minecraft to focus on 'new project' |website=Joystiq |author=Christopher Grant |date=2 December 2011}}</ref> afterwards continuing to help out with ''Minecraft'' while also working on new projects.<ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151031041229/http://notch.tumblr.com/post/13633493969/och-med-dom-orden-s%C3%A5-passar-jag-micken|title=Och med dom orden så passar jag micken.|website=The Word of Notch|date=December 2, 2011}}</ref>

Persson engaged Ez during a vacation in {{w|Indonesia}},<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20160603021743/https://twitter.com/ezchili/status/78082582268489728 "@Pat_Man12 We actually got engaged in your country :D Indonesia is very beautiful!"] - ez on Twitter; June 7, 2011</ref><ref>{{citation|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226195712/https://notch.tumblr.com/post/200930660/illness|title=Illness!|website=The Word of Notch|date=September 30, 2009}}</ref> and married her on August 13, 2011. The two separated on August 15, 2012.<ref>{{tweet|notch|235746965823033345|As of today, I am single. #mixedemotions|August 15, 2012}}</ref> Her brother, [[Kristoffer Zetterstrand|Kristoffer]], is the artist whose [[painting]]s appear in the game.

Persson sold Mojang and all of its assets to Microsoft on September 15, 2014. In a blog post, Notch states "I love games and I love to program, but I don't make games with the intention of them becoming huge hits, and I don't try to change the world." He then goes on to say that "I've become a symbol. I don't want to be a symbol, responsible for something huge that I don't understand, that I don't want to work on."<ref name=Notchnet>[http://web.archive.org/web/20140922063257/http://notch.net/2014/09/im-leaving-mojang/ I'm leaving Mojang] - Notch.net; September 15, 2014</ref>

Persson left Mojang on November 5, 2014, along with the other founders. He wrote that "as soon as this deal is finalized, I will leave Mojang and go back to doing Ludum Dares and small web experiments. If I ever accidentally make something that seems to gain traction, I'll probably abandon it immediately."<ref name=Notchnet/>

Persson has not been involved with ''Minecraft'' since selling Mojang to Microsoft, and the company has disassociated with him since 2019 following a series of controversial Tweets on Twitter, with a spokesperson for Microsoft stating that Persson's comments and opinions do not reflect those of Microsoft or Mojang and are not representative of 'Minecraft'."<ref>{{cite|url=https://variety.com/2019/gaming/news/minecraft-creator-excluded-from-anniversary-due-to-comments-and-opinions-exclusive-1203200050/|title=‘Minecraft’ Creator Excluded From Anniversary Due to ‘Comments and Opinions’ (EXCLUSIVE)|author=Brian Crecente|website=Variety|date=April 19, 2019}}</ref>

Outside of work Persson frequently takes part in competitions, including Ludum Dare, LD12 and the Java 4k Game Programming Contest.{{cn}}

On August 15, 2024, Notch tweeted that he liked the change that Mojang made to the appearance of [[redstone torch]]es.<ref>{{tweet|notch|1824132555760865385|I like it!|August 15, 2024}}</ref> On September 29, 2024, Notch tweeted that the [[creaking]] “looks awesome”, and that “thought should be put into” whether or not a mob drops loot.<ref>{{tweet|notch|1840343244690841687|The creaking? I've only seen a picture just now, but that thing looks awesome.|September 29, 2024}}</ref><ref>{{tweet|notch|1840482083514560517|I agree thought should be but into it, but I'd say this is too genre specific to be a general rule.<br><br>Games like Robotron and Ultrakill (and I guess the new doom games in the arenas, if we ignore the drops) require you to hunt down and kill all enemies as the core loop itself.|September 29, 2024}}</ref>

On September 4, 2024, Notch commented on the teaser trailer for ''[[A Minecraft Movie]]''.<ref>{{tweet|notch|1831360342645252548|Ok i'm in<br><br>Wow this is a weird feeling.|September 4, 2024}}</ref>

=== Notch’s Goodbye Letter ===
This letter, made by Notch, announces his departure from Mojang.<ref>{{cite|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140915140752/http://notch.net/2014/09/im-leaving-mojang/|title=I’m Leaving Mojang
}}</ref>

{{Q|I don’t see myself as a real game developer. I make games because it’s fun, and because I love games and I love to program, but I don’t make games with the intention of them becoming huge hits, and I don’t try to change the world. Minecraft certainly became a huge hit, and people are telling me it’s changed games. I never meant for it to do either. It’s certainly flattering, and to gradually get thrust into some kind of public spotlight is interesting.

A relatively long time ago, I decided to step down from Minecraft development. Jens was the perfect person to take over leading it, and I wanted to try to do new things. At first, I failed by trying to make something big again, but since I decided to just stick to small prototypes and interesting challenges, I’ve had so much fun with work. I wasn’t exactly sure how I fit into Mojang where people did actual work, but since people said I was important for the culture, I stayed.

I was at home with a bad cold a couple of weeks ago when the internet exploded with hate against me over some kind of EULA situation that I had nothing to do with. I was confused. I didn’t understand. I tweeted this in frustration. Later on, I watched the This is Phil Fish video on YouTube and started to realize I didn’t have the connection to my fans I thought I had. I’ve become a symbol. I don’t want to be a symbol, responsible for something huge that I don’t understand, that I don’t want to work on, that keeps coming back to me. I’m not an entrepreneur. I’m not a CEO. I’m a nerdy computer programmer who likes to have opinions on Twitter.

As soon as this deal is finalized, I will leave Mojang and go back to doing Ludum Dares and small web experiments. If I ever accidentally make something that seems to gain traction, I’ll probably abandon it immediately.

Considering the public image of me already is a bit skewed, I don’t expect to get away from negative comments by doing this, but at least now I won’t feel a responsibility to read them.

I’m aware this goes against a lot of what I’ve said in public. I have no good response to that. I’m also aware a lot of you were using me as a symbol of some perceived struggle. I’m not. I’m a person, and I’m right there struggling with you.

I love you. All of you. Thank you for turning Minecraft into what it has become, but there are too many of you, and I can’t be responsible for something this big. In one sense, it belongs to Microsoft now. In a much bigger sense, it’s belonged to all of you for a long time, and that will never change.

It’s not about the money. It’s about my sanity.}}

== Games and other work ==

Notch has released much of his work, including, but not limited to:<ref>https://theintraclinic.com/archive/</ref>

'''Games:'''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20021013211832/http://www.theintraclinic.com/droj/index.html ''Droj''], a multiplayer game.
*[https://jvm-gaming.org/t/my-previous-game-abandoned/15979 ''DachonB''], a gravity based shooter.
*[http://wurmonline.com/ ''Wurm Online''], an MMO featuring sandbox elements similar to ''Minecraft''.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140913022726/https://mojang.com/notch/logichex/ ''LogicHex''], a hexagonal logic gate builder.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061205093037/http://www.mojang.com/notch/mario/ ''Infinite Mario Bros''], a ''Super Mario'' clone featuring an endlessly-long level.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120729234330/http://www.mojang.com/notch/takns/''Takns'',] a strategy game with tanks.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081003004831/http://www.mojang.com/notch/blastpassage/ ''Blast Passage''], an 8-Bit mashup between ''Bomberman'' and ''Gauntlet''.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20171124055913/http://ludumdare.com/compo/2008/08/09/starting-over-abandoned-idea/ ''TowerFail''], a failed attempt at a ludum dare game.
*[https://jvm-gaming.org/t/tinycham/32449''TinyCham''], a dungeon crawler with a 40×30 pixel resolution.
*[https://jvm-gaming.org/t/tinycham/32449/5 ''Eye of the Onlooker II - The Legend of Tinymoon''], a sequel to TinyCham.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20141215142009/http://ludumdare.com/compo/2008/12/06/aw-shucks-im-giving-up/ ''Road''], a racing game.
*''[[Minecraft]]'', a block game.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20181212105707/https://notch.tumblr.com/post/143760207/jack-guzi-a-game-about-a-deranged-man-cleaning ''Jack Guzi''], a platformer game about a deranged man cleaning his bathroom.
*[https://gamejolt.com/games/muh/992 ''Muh''], a rhythm game.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20100914090358/http://www.mojang.com:80/bigjam/launch ''Launch''], a game for the 2010 Bigjam competition.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20101015145632/http://www.mojang.com:80/bigjam/her/ ''Her''], a game for the 2010 Bigjam competition.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20210224193602/https://notch.tumblr.com/post/336001371/three-hour-game-made-at-tigjam-uk2 ''Anttack''], a game for the 2010 Bigjam competition.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20210224083517/notch.tumblr.com/post/336422664/another-three-hour-game-sunshine-bubbles ''Sunshine Bubbles''], a game for the 2010 Bigjam competition.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20210224012607/notch.tumblr.com/post/337437847/one-hour-tigjam-game-catrace ''CatRace''], a game for the 2010 Bigjam competition.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20210224160307/notch.tumblr.com/post/341228712/and-an-untitled-15-minute-game-on-the-theme ''15m''], a game for the 2010 Bigjam competition.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20120601154736/0x10c.com/tmp/HerpFortress.zip ''Herp Fortress''], a ''Team Fortress 2'' demake.
*[http://drop.notch.net/ ''Drop''], a typing game that increases in speed as you play.
*[http://shambles.notch.net/ ''Shambles''], a hectic shooter greatly inspired by ''Doom''.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140608233838/http://cliffhorse.com/ ''Cliffhorse''], an open-ended game in which you play as a horse that can scale cliffs.

'''Java 4k Games:'''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20110808031506/http://javaunlimited.net/games/view.php?id=27 ''Sonic Racer 4k''], a racing game with stolen sprites.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050209075839/http://www.mojang.com/j4k/dungeon4k/ ''Dungeon4k''], a dungeon exploration game.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20050218004835/http://www.mojang.com/j4k/hunters4k/ ''Hunters4k''], a first person shooter.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060424151658/http://www.mojang.com:80/notch/j4k2k6/miners4k/ ''Miners4k''], a game kind of inspired by ''Lemmings'' and ''Diggers''.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071012045040/http://mojang.com/notch/j4k2k6/dachon4k/'' Dachon4k''], a 4k remake of DachonB.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20061205093025/http://www.mojang.com/notch/j4k/l4krits/ ''l4krits''], a ''Luxor'' clone.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071229202948/http://www.mojang.com/notch/j4k/t4kns/ ''t4kns''], a real time strategy game.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20081226100544/http://www.mojang.com:80/notch/j4k/l4kd/ ''Left 4k Dead''], a zombie shooter game inspired by ''Left 4 Dead''.
*[https://gamejolt.com/games/left-4k-dead-2/1006 ''Left 4k Dead 2''], a zombie shooter game inspired by ''Left 4 Dead 2''.
*[https://java4k.com/index.php?action=games&method=view&gid=238 ''MEG4kMAN''], a ''Mega Man'' clone featuring old-school graphics.
*''[[Minecraft 4k]]'', ''Minecraft'' in less than 4 KB for a Java 4k competition.
*[https://java4k.com/index.php?action=games&method=view&gid=288 ''VVVV''], a ''VVVVVV'' demake.

'''Ludum Dare Games:'''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080828024147/http://www.mojang.com/notch/ld12/breaking/ ''Breaking the Tower''], a slow-paced strategy game.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20090424065437/http://www.mojang.com/notch/bunnypress ''Bunny Press''], a violent puzzle game made for Ludum Dare 14.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20200107190502/http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-16/?action=preview&uid=398 ''The Europa Arcology Incident''], an RPG-style game Notch made in 48 hours for Ludum Dare 16.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20200108083642/http://ludumdare.com/compo/ludum-dare-18/?action=preview&uid=398 ''Metagun''], a puzzle game Notch made in 48 hours for Ludum Dare 18.
*[https://s3.amazonaws.com/ld48/index.html ''Prelude of the Chambered''], an escape game Notch made in 48 hours for Ludum Dare 21.
*''[[Minicraft]]'', a top-down ''Zelda''-esque game with elements from ''Minecraft'', made for Ludum Dare 22.
*[http://game.notch.net/christmaschopping/ ''Last Minute Christmas Chopping''], in which you play as Santa collecting wood to build a sleigh.
*[http://game.notch.net/drowning/ ''Drowning in Problems''], a clicker game that gets progressively more complicated.

'''2.5D Engines:'''
*[http://web.archive.org/web/20061217021556/http://www.mojang.com:80/notch/flashmaze/ ''Flashmaze''], a first person shooter prototype in flash.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071012045106/http://mojang.com/notch/misc/3dck_d0/ Flash doom level renderer].
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20071012045055/http://mojang.com/notch/loc/ Dungeon master type game engine in Java].
*''[[Legend of the Chambered]]'', a dungeon crawler containing many textures that were reused in ''Minecraft''.
*''[[Legend of the Chambered 2]]'', an updated version of ''Legend of the Chambered''.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140913022532/https://mojang.com/notch/city/ ''City''], an engine and walking test with walls.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20140913022548/https://mojang.com/notch/hl2rpg/ ''HL2RPG''], a Java Dungeon Master like prototype which uses Half-Life 2 assets.

Notch also has a [https://soundcloud.com/markusalexei soundcloud page] which includes 53 tracks in total. He would sometimes use his music on his old YouTube channel Nizzotch.

=== Unreleased ===

'''BitSeven Productions:'''

Information from [http://web.archive.org/web/20110320152953/http://imgur.com/a/B5WkP this set of images], verified through [https://www.engadget.com/2011-03-17-minecraft-creator-provides-a-walkthrough-of-his-earlier-works.html this article]:
*''3D1'', a free-roaming engine based on Wolfenstein.
*''Ruby'', a free-scrolling engine inspired by JRPGs.
*''ISOM'', an isometric renderer test which included a random terrain generator.
*''Turbo'', an "over-the top side scrolling shooter".
*''IQ Ball 2'', a sequel to ''IQ Ball'', where the object of the game is to get a ball safely to the goal, and in which all balls are moved when a directional key is pressed.
*''HEDE'', a platformer that involved shooting slimes with a gun.
*''HEDE 2'', the sequel to ''HEDE'', albeit top-down instead of a platformer.
*''Rubylands x'', a tile based roguelike.
*''RUBYLAND'', a "first person tile based dungeon crawler".
*''Howl'', "a Megaman-type game".
*''STRAT'', inspired by ''Dune 2''.

'''Other:'''
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20080807172134/http://www.rubylands.com/ ''Rubylands''], a fantasy group manager.
*''[[RubyDung]]'', a ''Dwarf Fortress''-inspired game containing textures that were reused in ''Minecraft''.
*''[[Zombie Town]]'', a ''GTA: Chinatown Wars''-inspired game containing models that were reused in ''Minecraft''.
*[https://jvm-gaming.org/t/legend-of-the-chambered-book-1/35155 ''Legend of the Chambered - Book 1''], an unfinished TinyGame2010 submission.
*[https://jvm-gaming.org/t/journal-the-tiny-vikings/35216 ''The Tiny Vikings''], another unfinished TinyGame2010 submission.
*[https://twitter.com/notch/status/10369439161647104 ''Super Me4k Boy''], a super meat boy demake.
*''[[Brickcraft]]'', a sandbox game developed in collaboration with the LEGO group.
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20210309061254/https://notch.tumblr.com/post/14118028707/santa-vs-cthulhu-until-7-am ''Santa vs Cthulhu''], a real time strategy game where you play as either Santa or Cthulhu.
*[https://www.reddit.com/r/minitale/comments/nywwq/the_title_menu/ ''Minitale''], a sequel to ''Minicraft''.
*''[[0x10c|0x10<sup>c</sup>]]'', a space sandbox game featuring programmable spacecraft.

== Quotes ==

{{Q|Imagine countless wiki editors all using each others work as  basis for their own, reasoning what must be true from what they already assume is.<br><br>Wouldn't that make for a weird reality?|Notch|January 6, 2020<ref>{{tweet|notch|1214131944776224769|Imagine countless wiki editors all using each others work as  basis for their own, reasoning what must be true from what they already assume is.<br><br>Wouldn't that make for a weird reality?|January 6, 2020}}</ref>|Notchface.png}}

== Trivia ==
*On June 1, 2011, Notch posted on Twitter that he was 2<sup>5</sup> years old.<ref>{{tweet|notch|75817816795787264|It's my birthday, and I'm turning 2^5 today! ez got me saké (for later) and breakfast (for now). :D <3|June 1, 2011}}</ref> 2<sup>5</sup> is 32, which was his age at the time.
*Notch programmed the ''Minecraft'' [[splash|splash screen]] to display "Happy Birthday, Notch!" all day on June 1. This was [[Java Edition removed features#Special splashes|removed]] in [[Java Edition 1.8.5]].

== Gallery ==
<gallery>
File:Notchphoto.jpg|Notch on his phone.
File:Notch.jpg|Notch wearing his iconic black fedora.
File:Notch2.jpg|Notch smiling.
File:MineCraft Con.jpg|Notch with his fans at [[MinecraftCon 2010]].
File:Minecraftcon2010-notch.jpg|Notch surrounded by fans.
File:Notch with two pc.png|Notch using his computer.
File:Minecraftwiki machinimainterview.png|Notch (left) and Seananners (right) at the Machinima Realm ''Minecraft'' Interview; February 11, 2011.
File:Notchhat.jpg|Notch unboxing his new hat.
File:MINECON Notch.png|At [[MINECON 2011]].
File:Notch receives the Pioneer Award at GDC 2016.jpg|Notch at the [[wikipedia:Game Developers Conference|2016 Game Developers Conference]].
File:Notch-skin.png|Notch's skin in ''Minecraft''.
File:Notch Classic.png|Notch's unique yellow name tag in a [[Java Edition Classic 0.30]] server.
File:Sneaking.png|Notch sneaking around in ''Minecraft''.
File:Notch Cape.png|Notch wearing his Mojang cape.
File:Top Notch.png|Notch's one-of-a-kind hat in the game ''Team Fortress 2'', given to him by the developers.
File:Notch - Mojang avatar.png|Notch in a cartoon style.
File:Notchface santa.png|Notch's Xmas 2011 Twitter icon.
File:Notch Adweek.jpg|Notch icon on [http://www.adweek.com/news/technology/top-10-technologists-135797 Adweek's The Top 10 Technologists].
File:Notch Steam.jpg|Notch's steam profile picture.
File:Notch's YouTube Profile Picture.jpg|Notch's YouTube profile picture showing Kirby with Steve's [https://www.ssbwiki.com/List_of_Copy_Abilities Copy Ability] from [[Super Smash Bros. Ultimate]]
</gallery>

== See also ==
*[[Wikipedia: Markus Persson]]
*[[Kristoffer]] - Former brother-in-law
*[[The Word of Notch]] - Former blog
*[[Nizzotch]] - Former YouTube channel

== External links ==
*[https://soundcloud.com/markusalexei SoundCloud page]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20141009014624/https://mojang.com/notch/ List of Notch's games on mojang.com]

== References ==
{{Reflist}}

== Navigation ==
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