If you follow the indie gaming scene – or just follow the gaming scene at all – you’ve no doubt seen a huge amount of interest in Minecraft. The indie-developed sandbox game has been a huge success amongst seasoned gamers and newbies alike, drawing in millions of users around the world thanks to word of mouth and some savvy ‘free weekend’ marketing.

What’s surprising is that this innovative, mega-successful game didn’t come towards the end of a long career in the gaming industry, ala Half-Life or Ocarina of Time. Instead, it hit gamers right at the start of one man’s career, transforming him from a struggling independent developer into one of the biggest faces in gaming. Now, Notch sometimes wishes it hadn’t happened like that.

Speaking with Eurogamer, the developer said that“it would have been more fun to have the success in 15 years rather than have it as I just started to do my own thing.” He worries that future projects will be overwhelmed and overshadowed by the success of Minecraft, and his work may be typecast – as much as is possible in the development community – by Minecraft’s success.

We’re hoping it’s not the case. As incredible as Minecraft is – and as incredible an experience as it must have been for Notch and his crew – we’re sure that with his innovative attitude and indie game experience, he can create something new. In many ways, the commercial success of Minecraft puts him in a great position for taking bigger development risks on new indie gaming projects.