Minecraft creator Markus Persson has said he “basically announced Minecraft 2” after polling his social media followers on what game they’d like him to make next.
Two options were listed in the poll: a roguelike mixed with a tile-based first-person dungeon crawler, and a a spiritual successor to Minecraft, which in the poll was called “Minecraft 2.” At the time of this article’s publication, 81% had picked Minecraft 2 after 282,968 votes.
Honest and legitimate request for feedback for once:
The new game I’m passionately working on is currently set to be a traditional roguelike (i.e. ADOM, nethack, etc) mixed with a tile based first person dungeon crawler (ie Legend of Grimrock (esp 2), Eye of the Beholder)
In a subsequent tweet, Notch admitted he “basically announced Minecraft 2,” and insisted he was “100% serious” about the poll.
“I thought that maybe people ACTUALLY do want me to make another game that’s super similar to the first one, and I’m loving working on games again,” he continued.
“I don’t super duper care exactly which game I make first (or even if I make more), but I do know I’m making one, so I figured I’d absolutely be willing to give it an honest shot in the form of a spiritual successor to Minecraft and put up a poll about it.
“My intentions are to be clear and honest about it, saying that spiritual successors are usually kind of… you know… washed up. Tragic. The things I’m fearing my next game is going to be anyway and try to push myself to avoid. So why not do the thing that people DO want and are willing to give me, somehow, even MORE cash for.
“I intend for the money to the [sic] spent for good, but my god have I learned I fail a lot. Winning is failing until you make yourself succeed.
“Oh and I also very much value being a man of my word, so I also intend to do this in a way that in no way tried [sic] to sneakily infringe on the incredible work the Mojang team is doing and that Microsoft is successfully doing the Microsoft shittification about.
“And I respect them for doing that. It’s their job. And they, from what I understand, let the studio do things their way, which seems very fair to me.”
Based on that, then, Notch is indeed setting out to work on a spiritual successor to Minecraft a decade after selling Mojang to Microsoft for $2.5 billion. Mojang continues to work on the eternally popular Minecraft, of course, putting out multiple updates each year across all the platforms the sandbox game is available on. Minecraft is officially the best-selling video game of all time, with an incredible 300 million copies sold. Microsoft has made no indication that it intends to release a Minecraft 2, which comes as no surprise given how popular Minecraft remains. Perhaps that leaves the door open for Notch to fill a gap from the original creator.
As Notch noted himself, it remains to be seen whether this ‘Minecraft 2’ ever sees the light of day. Since selling to Microsoft, the Swedish developer has started and stopped a number of games, including space sandbox game 0x10c (pronounced “Ten to the C”). However, in another tweet, Notch said the odds of him finishing projects now are higher than they were because he has employees he feels responsible for.
In later tweets, Notch answered questions from followers on social media about this Minecraft 2, and insisted he doesn’t want to use anything “too similar to the stuff I sold,” in this new game. He also said his Minecraft 2 wouldn’t be a story game, suggesting a new sandbox of some kind. “I’d make a similar game [to Minecraft] based on what I think the audience that says they want that game might enjoy,” he explained. “Probably do early access to make sure we’re on track.”
I mean best I’ve got at the moment is Adventureland, so yeah no idea
Notch even went on to say that if Minecraft ever wanted him to make an official Minecraft 2 and both parties agreed on terms, “I’d absolutely be willing to to that.”
“I’d even give them a much bigger share than I’d feel obliged to just to make it clear I’m not doing it with ill intent,” he continued, before adding: “But I’ll be a bitch to work with.”
Wesley is the UK News Editor for IGN. Find him on Twitter at @wyp100. You can reach Wesley at wesley_yinpoole@ign.com or confidentially at wyp100@proton.me.
The first weekend of 2025 is here, which makes today a great time to check out the latest deals! Here are the best deals for Sunday, January 5.
Save on Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2
Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is on sale for $49.99 at Amazon. In our 8/10 review, we stated, “Warhammer 40,000: Space Marine 2 is a terrific third-person shooter with a compelling story, loads of weapons that are a blast to use, and a healthy variety of enemies to use them on.”
M2 MacBook Air for $799
Amazon has this 2022 Apple MacBook Air on sale for $799 this weekend. This model includes the M2 chip, which supports Apple Intelligence, as well as 16GB of RAM, 256GB of SSD storage, and a 13.6-inch display. If you’ve been holding out on upgrading your MacBook this can be an excellent option.
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics for $34
You can score Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics for only $34 today at Amazon. This collection packs in seven different titles, including the beloved Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. At last, you can play these classic titles on modern platforms.
EPOMAKER Shadow-X Gasket Mechanical Keyboard for $42.99
This EPOMAKER Shadow-X keyboard is perfect to switch up your setup with some color. The keyboard can be used either wirelessly or wired, with a 3,000mAh battery to support hours of use. Additionally, there’s even a color screen that displays settings, specs, and more at just a glance.
Belkin MagSafe 3-in-1 Charger Stand for $65.99
If you own an iPhone, Apple Watch, and a pair of Apple AirPods, this is the ultimate accessory for you. The Belkin MagSafe 3-in-1 Charger Stand can charge all of your devices wirelessly with one device. It’s perfect for placing on your nightstand, or even for bringing with you during a trip away from home. Say goodbye to the days of one cord per device.
Dragon Quest Illustrations: 30th Anniversary Edition for $23.82
Featuring 240 pages of artwork from Akira Toriyama, Dragon Quest Illustrations: 30th Anniversary Edition is the ultimate gift for any fan of the iconic RPG series. This book features over 500 different illustrations from Toriyama, stretching from Dragon Quest all the way to Dragon Quest XI.
Apple Watch Series 10 for $359
Amazon has the Apple Watch Series 10 on sale for $359 this weekend, which nets you $70 off this extremely popular device. Series 10 marked Apple’s first wide-angle OLED display on Apple Watch, with the device itself being the thinnest watch yet. If you’re not an Apple Watch owner or someone who has an older model, this is the perfect time to score an upgrade.
Persona 5 Royal for $14.88
Walmart has digital Nintendo Switch copies of Persona 5 Royal available on sale for only $14.88. Acting as the definitive version of P5, Persona 5 Royal is one of the must-play RPG experiences of the last generation. This game offers well over 100 hours of content, making this an excellent deal.
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World 4K UHD Blu-ray for $12.99
Scott Pilgrim vs. The World is a very beloved movie for many, and you can pick up the 4K Blu-ray this weekend for only $12.99. This package includes a 4K UHD disc, a Blu-ray disc, and a digital copy. We gave the movie an 8/10 in 2010, with the beat-em-up game receiving an 8/10 as well.
Hello reader who is also a reader, and welcome back to Booked For The Week – our regular Sunday chat with a selection of cool industry folks about books! The longest novel ever written is generally agreed to be Proust’s Remembrance of Things Past – a coward’s pick, since it’s actually 13 different volumes. Don’t let Proust’s despicable lies sully the joy of literature for you, though. He did have a good quality moustache – a far more important literary trait than actually doing any writing, imo.
This week, it’s ITU Copenhagen Games Professor and Broken Rules co-founder, Martin Pichlmair! Cheers Martin! Mind if we have a nose at your bookshelf?
Fresh images of what looks to be the left Joy-Con controller from the upcoming ‘Switch 2’ hardware have been posted online, supposedly originating from China.
Hosted over on Reddit by ‘thisSubIsAtrocious‘ and subsequently shared all over social media, the Joy-Con sports the new magnetic rail with which to attach the controller to the main body of the Switch 2. In an effort to differentiate the hardware from the current Switch systems, it looks to be mainly black in colour, with the rail itself sporting a light blue.
Welcome to another edition of Box Art Brawl — the first of 2025, no less!
Last week, we matched up a pair of beauties from Zelda II: The Adventure of Link (yep, we were shocked that we hadn’t covered it already too), and after a week of voting, the results came back with a clear winner. The classic gold variant from Europe and North America walked away with 66% of the vote and the win, leaving the hand-drawn Japanese design with the remaining 34%.
The former PlayStation Vita exclusive and action RPG Freedom Wars Remastered is launching next week on the Switch eShop and if you’re planning on downloading this one, you might be interested to know the file size.
According to Nintendo’s official website, it will require around 4.6 GB of free space on your system. If you want a physical copy, the option right now is to import the Japanese release. This particular version of the game will also contain English language support.
The free-to-play MOBA Pokémon Unite is still adding new Pokémon and the next one joining the roster will be Galarian Rapidash.
This psychic/fairy-type evolves from a Galarian Ponyta and was originally introduced during the Pokémon Sword and Shield generation. This new pick in Unite is scheduled to join the fray on 23rd January 2025 – so later this month.
The first weekend of 20245 is here, which makes today a great time to check out the latest deals! Here are the best deals for Saturday, January 4.
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak for $41.99
The Legend of Heroes: Trails Through Daybreak is on sale this weekend at Amazon for $41.99. This entry in the long-running Trails series is a solid place to start, especially with Daybreak II due out next month. If you’re searching for your next RPG, this is a great option!
Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics for $34
You can score Marvel vs. Capcom Fighting Collection: Arcade Classics for only $34 today at Amazon. This collection packs in seven different titles, including the beloved Marvel vs. Capcom 2: New Age of Heroes. At last, you can play these classic titles on modern platforms.
EPOMAKER Shadow-X Gasket Mechanical Keyboard for $42.99
This EPOMAKER Shadow-X keyboard is perfect to switch up your setup with some color. The keyboard can be used either wirelessly or wired, with a 3,000mAh battery to support hours of use. Additionally, there’s even a color screen that displays settings, specs, and more at just a glance.
Belkin MagSafe 3-in-1 Charger Stand for $65.99
If you own an iPhone, Apple Watch, and a pair of Apple AirPods, this is the ultimate accessory for you. The Belkin MagSafe 3-in-1 Charger Stand can charge all of your devices wirelessly with one device. It’s perfect for placing on your nightstand, or even for bringing with you during a trip away from home. Say goodbye to the days of one cord per device.
Dragon Quest Illustrations: 30th Anniversary Edition for $23.82
Featuring 240 pages of artwork from Akira Toriyama, Dragon Quest Illustrations: 30th Anniversary Edition is the ultimate gift for any fan of the iconic RPG series. This book features over 500 different illustrations from Toriyama, stretching from Dragon Quest all the way to Dragon Quest XI.
Samsung 98″ TV for $1997.99
This Samsung 98-Inch Class 4K Crystal DU9000 Series TV has hit an all-time low this weekend, priced at $1997.99. Not everyone has room for a massive 98″ TV, but if you do, this is a solid option, especially for the price.
Apple Watch Series 10 for $359
Amazon has the Apple Watch Series 10 on sale for $359 this weekend, which nets you $70 off this extremely popular device. Series 10 marked Apple’s first wide-angle OLED display on Apple Watch, with the device itself being the thinnest watch yet. If you’re not an Apple Watch owner or someone who has an older model, this is the perfect time to score an upgrade.
Persona 5 Royal for $14.88
Walmart has digital Nintendo Switch copies of Persona 5 Royal available on sale for only $14.88. Acting as the definitive version of P5, Persona 5 Royal is one of the must-play RPG experiences of the last generation. This game offers well over 100 hours of content, making this an excellent deal.
With 2025 looming, Star Wars fans have a whole new year’s worth of content to look forward to. Unfortunately, 2025 isn’t shaping up to be the franchise’s biggest year. With no new movies on the docket and only one live-action series confirmed for release, the pickings are looking a little slim.
But that’s not to say there’s nothing exciting on the horizon. The release of Andor Season 2 alone is reason for Star Wars fans to celebrate like the Rebels dancing on Endor. Let’s take a closer look at what is coming in 2025, and the many Star Wars projects we hope to learn more about in the next 12 months.
Andor Returns for Season 2
This is the big one. The Star Wars slate may be a little sparse in 2025, but it’s hard to complain too much when we’re getting a sequel to what is widely regarded as the best Star Wars project Disney has released so far. That’s right, Andor Season 2 is finally dropping in April 2025.
Season 2 chronicles the second half of this deep, introspective origin story for Diego Luna’s Cassian Andor. If Season 1 was the story of how a young Cassian became radicalized and joined the fledgling Rebel Alliance, then Season 2 will show us the dangerous missions he undertook leading up to the events of Rogue One: A Star Wars Story.
Fittingly, with the series moving closer to the time period of Rogue One, we’ll see more familiar faces from that movie pop up in Season 2. Most notably, Alan Tudyk will reprise the role of K-2SO, as we learn how Cassian first met this eccentric Imperial assassin droid. We’re also looking forward to seeing Ben Mendelsohn don his cape once more as Death Star project manager Director Orson Krennic.
Fans can expect Season 2 to cover a lot of ground, with multiple time jumps unfolding over the course of the season and the final batch of episodes set in the days leading up to Rogue One. In other words, don’t expect a Season 3. But do expect a Star Wars story that continues to explore the ordinary men and women who lit the spark of rebellion in a time of great darkness.
More Star Wars: Visions
More Andor is great, but what about the animated side of things? With The Bad Batch wrapping up in 2024, the one Star Wars animated series confirmed to return in 2025 is Star Wars: Visions. Once again, fans will be treated to an anthology of animated shorts featuring various animation studios interpreting the mythology of Star Wars through their own, unique lens.
Season 3 is said to bring Visions back to its roots as an anime anthology, whereas Season 2 took more of a global approach. The studios involved in Season 3 include Cyberpunk Edgerunners’ Studio Trigger and Attack on Titan’s WIT Studio, along with David Production, Kamikaze Douga, ANIMA, Kinema Citrus Co., Polygon Pictures, Production I.G, and Project Studio Q.
Will There Be More Star Wars TV?
However much we’re looking forward to more of Star Wars: Andor and Star Wars: Visions, there’s no getting around the fact that 2025 is looking pretty thin on the Star Wars TV front compared to previous years. In 2024 alone we got two live-action shows in The Acolyte and Skeleton Crew and two animated series in The Bad Batch: Season 3 and Tales of the Empire. But in 2025, we only have one confirmed live-action series and one animated series, plus the final two episodes of Skeleton Crew.
Is there a chance Disney has more shows planned we don’t know about? Possibly, at least on the animated front. Don’t forget that we only learned about the existence of Tales of the Empire a month before it dropped on Disney+ in May 2024. It’s entirely possible that they could pull the same trick again in 2025, announcing another “Tales of” anthology series to follow up Tales of the Empire and Tales of the Jedi.
There’s also the question of whether Disney has any long-form Star Wars animated projects in development right now. With The Bad Batch wrapping up last year, we have to imagine that Dave Filoni and others have been hard at work crafting the next great Star Wars animated saga. We probably won’t see that series release in 2025, but it’s possible we’ll at least get an announcement and maybe even see some early footage. That could be one of the big announcements at Star Wars Celebration Japan in April.
But on the live-action front, don’t expect any big surprises in 2025. The Acolyte was officially canceled, and with The Mandalorian saga continuing on the big screen, we don’t even know if The Mandalorian: Season 4 is ever happening. That just leaves Ahsoka: Season 2, and that series isn’t returning until 2026 at least.
The End of the High Republic
If things are looking a little barren on the live-action Star Wars front right now, the same certainly can’t be said for the publishing side of things. Fans of the Star Wars books and comics will be eating very well in 2025, particularly those following Lucasfilm Publishing’s High Republic saga. For the past several years, these books and comics have been exploring the triumphs and tribulations of the Jedi hundreds of years before the Star Wars movies, and it all comes to an end soon.
Look for several major High Republic novels to be released in 2025, including Charles Soule’s The High Republic: Trials of the Jedi, Claudia Gray’s The High Republic: Into the Light, and Justina Ireland’s The High Republic: A Valiant Vow. Of these, Trials of the Jedi is the one most worth keeping an eye on, as it serves as the climax of the entire High Republic initiative. This novel will chronicle the final battle between the Jedi and the Nihil and the Nameless. Look for Trials of the Jedi to be released on June 17.
Not to be outdone, Marvel Comics has quite an ambitious Star Wars lineup planned for 2025. In 2024, most of Marvel’s ongoing Star Wars comics were exploring the period between The Empire Strikes Back and Return of the Jedi. Now that those books have ended, Marvel is casting a wider net and branching out to multiple Star Wars eras in 2025.
Kicking things off, look for Marvel to wrap up the limited series Star Wars: The Battle of Jakku in January. This series has been busy fleshing out the final major battle between the dying Empire and the New Republic two years after Return of the Jedi, and we’ll see the climax unfold in writer Alex Segura and artist Jethro Morales and Leonard Kirk’s The Battle of Jakku: Last Stand.
From there, Marvel is veering in two wildly different directions with its newest ongoing Star Wars comics. First, writer Marc Guggenheim and artist Madibek Musabekov are heading to the Prequel era in Star Wars: Jedi Knights. Set before the events of The Phantom Menace, the series will follow numerous members of the Jedi Order, including Qui-Gon Jinn, Obi-Wan Kenobi, Yoda, Mace Windu, and Shaak Ti. The series even focuses on Count Dooku before his defection from the Jedi Order.
Elsewhere, Marvel is venturing deep into the era of the Sequel Trilogy for Charles Soule and Luke Ross’ Star Wars: Legacy of Vader. Set in between The Last Jedi and The Rise of Skywalker, the series explores Kylo Ren’s struggle as the newly crowned Supreme Leader of the First Order and his quest to recommit himself to the Dark Side following his battles with Rey and Luke Skywalker. Soule previously fleshed out Ben Solo’s Dark Side origins in 2020’s Star Wars: The Rise of Kylo Ren, so consider this a sequel of sorts.
We have to assume these aren’t the only new Star Wars comics Marvel will be launching in 2025, as the publisher has tended to publish four or five ongoing titles at any given time. Will Doctor Aphra get another solo series? Will we see other books fleshing out the blank canvas that is the post-Return of the Jedi era? Only time will tell on that front.
The Future of Star Wars Games
If 2025 is shaping up to be a relatively quiet year on the movie and TV front, it’s not looking any better in terms of video game releases. In fact, there are no Star Wars games confirmed for release in 2024.
About all fans have to look forward to at the moment is new DLC for Star Wars Outlaws. According to Ubisoft’s DLC roadmap, fans can expect a new story campaign called “A Pirate’s Fortune” to release in Spring 2025. This campaign focuses on fan-favorite pirate villain (or perhaps he’s more of an anti-hero) Hondo Ohnaka as he bumps into Kay Vess.
Ubisoft has yet to reveal what, if any, new Outlaws content is planned beyond “A Pirate’s Fortune.” Are there even more adventures planned for Kay and her motley crew, or do the lukewarm sales numbers spell doom for Outlaws’ ongoing future? We’ll have to wait for future announcements to learn more.
Beyond that, all we can do is hope that 2025 brings with it news about other upcoming Star Wars games. We know EA is developing a third game in the Star Wars Jedi series. But with there being four years between the release of 2019’s Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order and 2023’s Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, it’s probably too much to hope the new game will actually release in 2025. At best, we might see early footage of the game and get a better idea of when in the Star Wars timeline it takes place.
We’re also crossing our fingers for news on the oft-delayed remake of Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. Saber Interactive CEO Matthew Karch confirmed in 2024 that the game is still in active development, despite rumors to the contrary. But what state is the game in right now, and when will we see footage of the remake in action? Hopefully, 2025 brings with it some good news on the KOTOR front.
And let’s not forget Quantic Dream’s Star Wars: Eclipse, another title that was announced and then seemingly vanished off the face of the Earth. Will 2025 be the year Eclipse finally rears its head again, or will it go the way of so many other canceled Star Wars projects?
What About the Star Wars Movies?
2025 won’t deliver any new Star Wars theatrical releases, which at this point is nothing new. On the theatrical side, the franchise has been dormant since the release of The Rise of Skywalker back in 2019. But that’s not to say Lucasfilm hasn’t announced plenty of new Star Wars movies in recent years. It’s worth looking at what’s currently in the pipeline and how likely we are to get an update in 2025.
The Mandalorian & Grogu
First, there’s the lone Star Wars movie that’s actually in production right now, The Mandalorian & Grogu. This big-screen spinoff of The Mandalorian continues the shared story of the two heroes after the events of The Mandalorian: Season 3. Co-creator Jon Favreau is directing the film, which is currently slated for release on May 22, 2026. With any luck, we should see a teaser trailer for the film at some point in 2025, possibly as early as Star Wars Celebration Japan.
Dave Filoni’s Mando-Verse Movie
Not to be outdone, Favreau’s partner Dave Filoni is directing his own live-action movie, one expected to tie together characters and threads from The Mandalorian, Ahsoka, The Book of Boba Fett, and other projects from that era. Don’t expect much news on this movie in the foreseeable future, however, as Filoni has to focus on Ahsoka: Season 2 first.
James Mangold’s Star Wars Movie
Logan director James Mangold is helming a movie set in the distant past of the Star Wars universe, revealing the origins of the Jedi Order and reportedly featuring a “Biblical” scope. Lucasfilm may announce a writer for the movie in 2025, but don’t expect more updates than that.
Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy’s New Jedi Order Movie
Daisy Ridley is reprising the role of Rey Skywalker in a new movie set 15 years after the events of The Rise of Skywalker. Ms. Marvel’s Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy is directing. Hopefully, we’ll see some updates about the film in 2025, but it’s unclear where in the pipeline it currently falls.
Simon Kinberg’s Star Wars Trilogy
X-Men producer Simon Kinberg has been tapped to oversee a new trilogy of Star Wars movies. Despite early rumors the trilogy will directly continue the Skywalker Saga, IGN was able to confirm it’s instead meant to focus on a new storyline. It’s still early days on this project, so we’re not expecting to hear much about Kinberg’s trilogy in 2025.
Taika Waititi’s Star Wars Movie
Thor: Ragnarok’s Taika Waititi is apparently still set to venture into the Star Wars universe, though it’s been years since we’ve gotten any substantive updates on this mysterious project. Will that finally change in 2025?
And that’s what you can expect from the Star Wars franchise in 2025. It’s a relatively quiet year, but there are still some very cool projects for fans to look forward to in the new year. What Star Wars story are you most excited to experience in 2025? Let us know by voting in our poll and posting down in the comments.
Jesse is a mild-mannered staff writer for IGN. Allow him to lend a machete to your intellectual thicket byfollowing @jschedeen on BlueSky.
Reformatted and revised with a couple of new additions. Enjoy!
If you’re looking for a change of pace and some welcome distraction from everyday life, few mediums offer such engrossing, ongoing escapism as video games. Even the best books have an ending, but some games can go on almost indefinitely and come to form a calming part of our daily routines.
