New game from the 'Minecraft' boys is 'Scrolls'

(2011 Mojang AB)

The next project from the team behind wildfire success Minecraft has been revealed: "The Game Which Is Not Announced Yet" is a cross between a card game and a board game called Scrolls.

Like other collectible card games such as Top Trumps, Yu-Gi-Oh, and Magic: The Gathering, Scrolls is centered around the use of special packs of cards, though in conjunction with a more traditional board game set-up.

Scrolls' emphasis will be placed on its manifestation as a game for computers and mobile phones, though a physical spin-off isn't out of the question.

Mojang Specifications is to develop Scrolls using Minecraft's successful open development philosophy, allowing players to buy the game early and get their hands dirty on pre-release versions, testing out new features as the game develops.

Minecraft, a construction game that itself isn't yet out of its beta test phase, has near-on 1.5 million paying customers, each stumping up between €10 and €15 for full access.

Its phenomenal growth over the past year and a half prompted designer Markus Persson to set up Mojang, find offices, and hire staff to help with its development. He even had his PayPal account temporarily frozen as a result of the huge amount of income generated.

The open design philosophy is "a win-win for the player and the developer," company CEO Carl Manneh told PC gaming site Rock Paper Shotgun.

"It funds the game, and people are investing into the game. We get so much feedback, and they are more likely to spread it to other friends as they invested in the product."

Speaking to industry news site Gamasutra, game designer Jakob Porser explained that he's often asked why Mojang isn' simply making a Minecraft 2. "For us, we don't think that players are so one-dimensional that they only want to play one type of game in one genre."

The game will first be offered to those who were earliest to pick up on Minecraft, with a wider alpha testing phase to come afterwards.

Read the Rock Paper Shotgun interview at http://www.rockpapershotgun.com/2011/03/02/minecraft-mojang-reveal-scrolls and the Gamasutra interview at http://www.gamasutra.com/view/news/33261/Interview_Mojangs_Jakob_Porser_on_New_Game_Scrolls.php.

The official Scrolls website is http://www.scrolls.com.