Discussions continued, as did the discussions. Melvor Idle was soon signed to RuneScape Gold Jagex Partners, the RuneScape company's publishing department. Jagex offered Malcolm assistance with development and assisted to complete a brand overhaul, as well as assisting in the management of community and localisation, turning the game that was created by one person and made accessible in 13 language (so to date).

The game launched earlier this month and even the Early Access version proved this formula resonated with RPG enthusiasts, having been downloaded more than 600,000 times through Steam and the major online mobile apps stores. It was way above and beyond Malcolm's initial expectations when he set out. Naturally, he wanted to ensure that his strategy would succeed but there was no 'endgame to think about.

"Luckily the enthusiasm that was a source of inspiration those early months has stayed with me throughout the past few years of work. Being able to work alongside Jagex personally on this is an absolute dream come true," he says. "I never imagined that I'd get the help of the very studio that inspired me in first place..

The leap from a hobby into a fan-based project was certainly a daunting task But looking at my current situation, and the support I've received when I established Games by Malcs as an up-and-coming studio, it has definitely worked out for the best."

Despite the close connection with Melvor Idle and RuneScape, and the involvement direct of Jagex, the publisher opted to keep the game an original IP instead of make it an officially-licensed RuneScape spin-off. This was in part acknowledgment of the fact that Malcolm had achieved in the place Jagex was unable to do so.

"We actually did look at creating some kind of idle RuneScape game some years ago in the form of RuneScape: Idle Adventures," Pfeiffer tells. "In Alpha, we stopped development to focus our efforts on the core RuneScape games.

We have always believed RuneScape's potential in the area of idle games and Melvor Idle is a great proof that RuneScape is able to inspire an amazing idle game. But Melvor Idle stands up on its own merits as well, in addition to our desire to remain in line with the concept of OSRS Fire Cape Buy it that Brendan first began making his game."