Minecraft is a hugely popular sandbox video game that was developed by Markus Persson, also known as "Notch," and released by Mojang Studios in 2011. The game has sold over 200 million copies and is played by millions of people all around the world.

The development of Minecraft began in 2009, when Persson started working on a game that he originally called "Cave Game." The game was inspired by other sandbox games such as Dwarf Fortress, Infiniminer, and RollerCoaster Tycoon, and it allowed players to explore a randomly generated world, gather resources, and build structures.

As development progressed, Persson decided to change the name of the game to Minecraft, and in May 2009, he released an early alpha version of the game on the TIGSource forums. The game quickly gained a following, and Persson continued to release updates and new features.

In 2010, Persson founded Mojang Studios with Jakob Porser and Carl Manneh, and the company began working on the full release of Minecraft. The game was officially released in November 2011, and it quickly became a massive success. In addition to its single-player mode, Minecraft also features a multiplayer mode that allows players to connect and play together over the internet.

Since its initial release, Minecraft has undergone numerous updates and expansions, adding new features such as new biomes, animals, and structures, as well as new gameplay mechanics such as redstone circuits, command blocks, and end-game bosses. The game has also been ported to numerous platforms, including consoles, mobile devices, and virtual reality systems.

In 2014, Mojang Studios was acquired by Microsoft, and Persson left the company soon after. However, development on Minecraft has continued, with a dedicated team of developers at Mojang Studios continuing to work on the game and release new updates and content.