Minecraft maker shelves 0x10c video game

A still showing "placeholder" models of 0x10c from footage released in 2012

Developer Markus "Notch" Persson, who created the hit online video game Minecraft, says he has shelved plans for a follow-up.

The new project was provisionally titled 0x10c. It was to be a space-themed game, set in the distant future.

Mojang, the company behind Minecraft, recorded £57m profit in 2012 and had promoted 0x10c during its development.

Mr Persson blamed both the high levels of interest in 0x10c and code copiers for his decision to stop working on it.

"I was streaming code and someone copied all the code and made their own version of it," he said of the new game during a live web stream.

"That was kind of the start of the decline of 0x10c. I realised the community was more powerful than I had the energy for."

There had been a great deal of interest in the game, which was to feature an in-game computer which could be programmed and even infected with viruses by players - not least because of the success of Minecraft.

Mr Persson has previously said he found it "weird" that he had made so much money out of the game, and told his web stream audience that he would no longer work on such high profile projects.

"I'm just going to make small games that hopefully you guys like instead of trying to do something that was going to have big mass appeal."

At the time of writing a blog documenting the development of 0x10c had not been updated since November 2012.

Earlier on in the broadcast Mr Persson appeared to blame the excitement surrounding the game for its demise before completion.

"I stopped developing 0x10c because everyone started caring about it before it was even done," he said.

"I just want to make small games and talk to other game developers about them. Forget all the hype."

He has today tweeted about the impact of his reputation as a high profile game developer on his work.

"It was much easier to have grand plans when nobody knew who I was," he wrote.

"The gaming world doesn't need more under delivering visionaries."