Mars Effect Was An April Fool’s Joke Says Notch, Sort Of

Yesterday we posted about the new game that Markus “Notch” Persson has been working on, as he threw up an official website for it. The game was entitled “Mars Effect,” and it’s been the constant attention of the Minecraft creator. In a recent tweet, Notch has semi-stifled the excitement by saying “‘Mars Effect’ was an April Fools joke.” At first glance I was stunned, but when I looked again I sat in relief. Notch goes on to say that the April Fool’s joke was actually the name, not the entire project.

He hasn’t announced the actual name yet, but work on the game is still in full swing. The way Notch explains it on the game’s official site the untitled game is heavily focused on space travel, crafting, and ship control. He’s designed his own engine, and is working around the clock to get this new project running.

I’m still looking forward to this new game, and the name “Mars Effect” was actually cool. When I first came across this naming decision I was wondering if Notch had learned a lesson with the Scrolls debate, and I first thought the worst. It looks like now that even Notch himself had to get in on the April fun.