Infiniminer
Block-based multiplayer mining game that inspired Minecraft.
Infiniminer is a multiplayer sandbox game with open-source code, created by Zachtronics. It revolves around digging and building with blocks. Players take on the role of miners split into teams, competing to gather the most money by excavating ore while also evading or battling the opposing team. The game is recognized as a key influence on the creation of Minecraft.
In the game, teams work within a landscape that is generated procedurally, using mining tools. The goal is to earn the highest total of money by mining ore, with the winning team being the one that accumulates the most by the round’s end. During development, creator Zachary Barth noticed that players were using the game’s mechanics for building and collecting items, moving away from the original competitive focus. This shift led to the emergence of sandbox-style play.
Barth began programming games as a youth and refined his skills at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. After graduating, he worked as a game programmer at Microsoft while developing projects independently. He released Infiniminer in April 2009, initially designed as a competitive mining game. However, players soon adopted its sandbox features to construct structures. Despite growing popularity, the game generated no revenue. Barth had not protected the source code, so it was decompiled and spread online, leading to widespread unauthorized modifications and hacks. Lacking monetization and control, he made the game open-source and stopped development.
In 2009, Swedish developer Markus Persson began early work on what would become Minecraft, initially called RubyDung. Infiniminer heavily influenced the project, especially its block-based visuals, first-person view, and building mechanics. Persson aimed to add features like role-playing elements to set his game apart. After Minecraft’s rise, Barth reflected in an interview that he never planned for that outcome, saying, “You don’t plan things in life.” Though initially surprised by Minecraft’s success, he acknowledged it. Barth later found commercial success with SpaceChem, a puzzle game that earned over US$1 million on a US$4,000 budget. This allowed him to leave Microsoft and start Zachtronics, which grew to four employees. By 2012, the studio faced financial trouble and took contract work with education company Amplify to create educational games. On March 15, 2014, Infiniminer app
- developer
- Zachtronics (Zachary Barth)
- release
- April 2009
- genre
- Multiplayer sandbox / mining game
- engine
- Infinifrag 2
- influenced
- Minecraft
- open_source
- Yes
Lore & Background
Zachary Barth had early experience with programming games in his youth but honed his skills more formally while attending Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in New York. After graduating, he worked as a game programmer at Microsoft, continuing independent development in his spare time. In April 2009, he released Infiniminer, a multiplayer game that initially focused on competitive mining objectives. However, players soon began using its sandbox mechanics to construct structures. Despite the game's growing popularity, Infiniminer generated no revenue. Barth had not obfuscated the game's source code, which led to it being decompiled and spread online. As a result, unauthorized modifications and hacks became common. Due to the lack of monetization and control over the game's code, Barth open-sourced the game and discontinued development.
Reader's Guide
Infiniminer's significance lies primarily in its direct influence on Minecraft, one of the best-selling games of all time. In 2009, Swedish indie developer Markus Persson began early development on the project that would eventually become Minecraft, initially titled RubyDung. Infiniminer significantly influenced the project, particularly in its block-based visual style, first-person perspective, and building mechanics. However, Persson aimed to incorporate additional gameplay elements, such as role-playing features, to distinguish his game from its predecessor. Following the rise in popularity of Minecraft, Barth reflected on the game's impact in an interview with Cascade PBS. He stated, 'It was never my plan to have what happened, happen. You don't plan things in life.' Although initially shocked by Minecraft's success, Barth acknowledged the game's popularity. Barth later found commercial success with the release of SpaceChem, a puzzle game that grossed over US$1 million on a development budget of just US$4,000. The game's financial success enabled him to leave his position at Microsoft and establish his own studio, Zachtronics, which eventually employed four people. By 2012, however, the studio faced financial difficulties and turned to contract work with the education company Amplify to develop educational games. On 15 March 2014, Infiniminer was featured on the British television program Fresh Meat. In 2015, Barth released Infinifactory, a puzzle game incorporating elements of both Infiniminer and SpaceChem.
Did You Know?
- Infiniminer was built on the engine of Infinifrag 2 and inspired by Team Fortress 2 and Motherload by XGen Studios.
- During development, Zachary Barth observed that players began using its mechanics for building and item collection, deviating from its original competitive design.
- Barth had not obfuscated the game's source code, leading to unauthorized modifications and hacks, which contributed to his decision to open-source the game.
- On 15 March 2014, Infiniminer was featured on the British television program Fresh Meat.
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