Minecraft creator weighs in on the Creeper debate sparked by Mojang CCO's recent comments, says he "tried to fix" it years ago because it was "anti-fun"

Earlier this month, Mojang chief creative officer Jens "Jeb" Bergensten bravely said the sandbox game's developers "probably would not add" the Creeper to the game today if they were to consider it, a take the game's original creator apparently agrees with.

Markus "Notch" Persson, the mastermind behind Minecraft and Mojang Studios – which he departed upon selling the company to Microsoft in 2014 – backs Jeb and his opinion on Creepers in a new Twitter post following waves of controversy from fans of the explosive green mob.

"I've been seeing a lot of Jeb hate over him saying the creeper's only around because it's iconic," writes Notch, "and I'd like to set something straight."

He continues, admitting, "This is originally one of MY opinions." In fact, Notch was once so unhappy with the Creeper's design, he tried to "fix" it by altering what triggers its explosions – explosions that have triggered game over for many hardcore saves, and the destruction of countless homes: "I tried to fix the creeper by having it only explode as the result of player (in)action, as I realized random destructive events you have no control over is anti-fun."

This is undoubtedly a surprising admission from Notch, if I do say so myself, as a longtime Minecraft fan. I mean, let's face it – the Creeper is practically the face of the sandbox game at this point, and its spontaneous combustive behavior adds a layer of stress to the otherwise largely peaceful experience. I'm not the only person who feels this way, either, with one commenter stating, "The Creeper was instrumental in the widespread success of Minecraft."

They elaborate that "mobs that cause player death / subsequent loss of resources are scary and annoying, but something that can destroy what you've actually built elevates the game beyond other creative action games." Many fans also seem to agree with Notch and Jeb, though, calling their criticism "a great point." I'm personally content with how things are now, but I do wonder what the Creeper might've looked like had Notch's "fix" worked out…

Minecraft devs explain "players have a different appetite for challenge and difficulty," which is why the Ender Dragon isn't allowed on the overworld: "That's not a great game experience."