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
Editor-in-Chief, US

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.