The concept for Melvor Idle is also completely in sync with our core principles of what constitutes an active game it was a perfect fit our company," he says. "Furthermore the concept to give someone in our community an opportunity to make a difference has really enthused everyone in the business with RS Gold."

Pfieffer and his team members They tried Melvor Idle themselves and enjoyed it -- enough that they reached out Malcolm Malcolm to discuss the possibility of working together the beginning of 2021.

"From the very first contact we discovered that Brendan shares Jagex's vision for games with a community focus, and has done a fantastic job in creating a vibrant and active group of players in the area of Melvor Idle. It's not common to come across the right combination when you're looking for publishing opportunities However, Brendan along with Melvor Idle were precisely that, and we were thrilled to work with him and the game wholeheartedly.

He says: "We like to say that it is true that RuneScape could be the MMO that is enjoyable while watching television, Melvor is the idle game that is enjoyable during playing RuneScape. Melvor Idle uses RuneScape's fundamental gameplay mechanics, and compresses them into bite-sized segments that can be enjoyed when time is tight, so RuneScape players will be at home in Melvor.But more than that, it's an exceptionally well-crafted idle game. The emphasis on allowing players to decide their own way through the game makes it make it stand out from the crowd of idle games that railroad players into increasing their number continuously."

The discussions continued as did the discussions. Melvor Idle was soon signed to Jagex Partners, the RuneScape company's publishing arm. Jagex provided Malcolm the development guidance and helped to complete a brand overhaul and also assisted with the management of communities and translation, transforming an idea created by one individual into something accessible in 13 languages (so so far).

The game was launched in the month of April as well as the Early Access version proved this formula was popular with RPG fans. It was downloaded over 600.000 times on Steam and both of the major online mobile apps stores. It was way above and beyond the initial goals of Malcolm when he first began. Naturally, he had hopes that his game would be successful but it wasn't a 'endgame to think about.

"Luckily the passion that fuelled those first few months has stayed with me throughout the years of work, and being able to work closely with Jagex directly on this is an incredible opportunity to fulfill a dream," he says. "I would never have imagined that I would ever receive support from the very studio which inspired me in the first place.

Making the transition from hobby to fan-driven project was definitely a scary experience however, looking back at where I've ended up, and the help I've received in establishing Games by Malcs as an emerging studio, it's definitely paid off for the most favorable outcome."

Despite the close ties that existed between Melvor Idle and RS 2007 Gold, and the direct involvement of Jagex The publisher decided to maintain the game as an original IP instead of launch it as an officially-licensed RuneScape spin-off. It was a recognition of the fact Malcolm had succeeded where Jagex failed.