In the latest update Mojang quietly scrubbed mentions of Markus Persson from the iconic loading messages that once tipped hats to the game's creator.
Minecraft no longer shouts out its original creator during load screens. The latest update strips every splash message that once referenced Markus “Notch” Persson, the Swedish developer who built the first versions before selling Mojang to Microsoft for $2.5 billion in 2014.
Splash screens have always been a quirky part of the game, cycling through jokes, memes, and occasional credits. Lines that once read variations of “Made by Notch!” or direct nods to him are now gone. The edit is live in recent Java and Bedrock builds, and dataminers quickly spotted the full purge.
Why now
Notch has remained a polarizing figure long after leaving Mojang. His X account @notch continues posting on politics, AI, and culture wars in ways that frequently spark backlash from the player base. Mojang has incrementally distanced the brand over the years, removing his name from credits, merch, and official channels. This feels like the final visible cut.
The timing lines up with renewed online chatter about Notch’s recent activity, including an Instagram post on August 19 highlighting one of his short statements. Whether the update was already scheduled or quietly accelerated, the result is the same: his name is no longer part of the first thing millions of players see when launching the game.
Community reaction is split. Some long-time players call it overdue housekeeping. Others see it as corporate sanitization of the game’s indie roots. Mojang has not issued a statement on the change, which is typical for these smaller cosmetic or credit adjustments.
- All direct Notch name-drops removed from the randomized splash pool
- Change present in latest Java snapshot and Bedrock stable releases
- No functional impact on gameplay or existing worlds
- Continues pattern of removing Persson branding from official channels
Minecraft update removes mentions of creator Notch from splash screens.
The move is symbolic but loud in a game where splash text is one of the few places that still carried his fingerprint. For better or worse, the version of Minecraft players boot up today has one less thread tying it back to the bedroom coder who started it all.