Markus Persson

Who would have thought a Java-based game about creating a world out of 3D blocks would blow up like it did? But with more than 5 million copies sold and 25 million registered users, Minecraft is still going strong and spawning new ventures. Can its creator duplicate this kind of success? Well, we may soon find out because a new game is in the works.

Minecraft maker Markus "Notch" Persson revealed his plans for a new game, temporarily called "0x10c," that has roots in hard-core science fiction. Still in early development, 0x10c is based on the idea that a group of humans were accidentally put into a deep sleep in 1988 and are now finding themselves waking up in the year 281 474 976 712 644 AD in a parallel universe that's nearing extinction.

As one of the survivors, you, the player, will explore the multiverse and engage in mining, trading, and looting, as well as battling artificial intelligence and other players. Similar to Minecraft, user customization plays a key role in 0x10c, as players will have the ability to program an emulated 16-bit CPU to control their spaceships and perform other tasks.

Full specifications of the CPU will be released shortly, so those who feel like it can get an early start. In fact, that's how Persson plans to develop the entire game. "...like we did with Minecraft, we expect to release it early and let the players help me shape the game as it grows," Persson writes on the game's Web site.

He goes on to say that he will make sure the science in the game has some kind of plausible theoretical basis, but he wants to hear from users if there are any mistakes.

There's no word on when we might see the early release of 0x10c. Pricing is also up in the air, though it's likely there will be a monthly fee to play. You can keep tabs on the game development by following Persson on his Twitter account.

So what do you guys think? Is this something you'd be interested in playing?

(Via BBC News)