Notch names his space game 0x10c, says its pronunciation is "a riddle"

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Remember how Notch mentioned that he'd like to create a sandbox space trading game ? Well, the famed Minecraft creator is working on it, and he's just announced the title: 0x10c.

In his usual form, Notch revealed the name on Twitter today, and followed up cryptically: "The real name has the 'c' raised above the other letters. I won't tell you how to pronounce it yet. It's a riddle." He then asked, "What happens if you try to read a 64 bit representation of 1 in a 16 bit system, but you get the endianness wrong?"

Before anyone complains that there's a news story every time Notch breathes, consider this: one of PC gaming's most beloved contemporary developers is making a space trading game called "0x10c" with inspirations such as Elite, Firefly, and 2001: A Space Odyssey. We can't help but be intrigued. Also, Notch just took a breath. Another is coming shortly.

Update: The official 0x10c website is live, and contains brief descriptions of Notch's ambitions for the game and its back story. Here are the bullet points:

The game is still very early in development, but here is a list of things we hope to include:

  • Hard science fiction.
  • Lots of engineering.
  • Fully working computer system.
  • Space battles against the AI or other players.
  • Abandoned ships full of loot.
  • Duct tape!
  • Seamlessly landing on planets.
  • Advanced economy system.
  • Random encounters.
  • Mining, trading, and looting.
  • Single and multi player connected via the multiverse.
Tyler Wilde
Executive Editor

Tyler grew up in Silicon Valley during the '80s and '90s, playing games like Zork and Arkanoid on early PCs. He was later captivated by Myst, SimCity, Civilization, Command & Conquer, all the shooters they call "boomer shooters" now, and PS1 classic Bushido Blade (that's right: he had Bleem!). Tyler joined PC Gamer in 2011, and today he's focused on the site's news coverage. His hobbies include amateur boxing and adding to his 1,200-plus hours in Rocket League.