First working name for Minecraft

Minecraft has a long and storied history. Not much else can be expected from a game which has been around for a decade and is still alive and well. And all those decades ago, little choices could’ve changed the Minecraft world we live in today.

In the very early stages of its development, Minecraft was actually titled ‘Cave Game.’ A very simple title and one that wouldn’t stick around for long. Especially because back then, caves weren’t even in the game yet! Notch, the creator of the original game, decided to change the name to something more fitting and came up with a simple combination of the game's two mechanics: Minecraft.

But it's not quite as simple as that, there was one more name Notch almost used. For a very short time Minecraft had a subtitle that many might recognize. It was ‘Order of the Stone.’ This subtitle was quickly scrapped however but it eventually was given new life in the lore of Minecraft Story Mode as the mysterious Order that first killed the Ender Dragon.

What was the original name of Mojang?

When Mojang was founded it was first called ‘Mojang Specifications’ but it soon after was rebranded as ‘Mojang AB’ which stuck for a long time until, in 2020, the company was once again renamed to ‘Mojang Studios.’ Hopefully this one sticks.

What is Notch’s real name?

Notch, the original creator of Minecraft, is named Markus Persson, though he largely went only by the nickname ‘Notch’ during his time working on Minecraft. Similar to how Jens Bergensten, the current lead designer of Minecraft, went by the name ‘Jeb’ during that early time in Minecraft’s history.

What was Minecraft almost called?

Minecraft almost kept its ‘Order of the Stone’ subtitle. It's unknown how long it would’ve lasted if it had but it definitely would’ve changed some writing in Minecraft Story Mode.

Names mean a lot and Minecraft is a name that certainly means quite a bit to a large amount of people. So it's interesting to look back and see what that name could have been instead, and wonder at how different our beloved little block game would’ve been had it followed the path of some of its original names.