@MMS21 >here was probably something in the contract that stopped him from doing anything of the sort
Yes, there was something in the contract that demanded he cease all involvement in minecraft and maybe even games.

You could do the moral thing and break such proprietary contract to betray humanity, except in a way that doesn't cause legal consequences, for example by anonymously offering bounties for mineclone development in monero (if you do it properly they'll never be able to prove it).