Malcolm has been playing OSRS Gold since he was a kid, and has also played some of the most popular idle games, such as Clicker Heroes, Cookie Clicker and NGU Idle. Although he enjoyed them however, he thought this genre could offer something more that would be fulfilling in a way similar as Jagex's flagship RPG.

"So I decided to challenge myself to make my own game, but never dreaming of how it would end up being released, much less become famous," he tells GamesIndustry.biz. "I was trying to make something outside of the established idle game mould which was feature-rich and offered players a actual choice about how they wanted to go about their lives instead of just increasing numbers in a continuous cycle.

After playing with an idea bit in a closed room, I started meshing concepts and gameplay mechanics from classic MMOs together with the popular idle game model, resulting in something that can be played by casually and on the go and easily fit into a player's busy lifestyle."

He continues: "While the numbers and stats don't make up the majority of players like about MMOs It is the one that the hardcore fanbase tend to gravitate towards once the exploration has been completed. Since it is often central to what long-term players are focused on It was natural to integrate this feature as a core part of Melvor's game design. Additionally, it is compatible with the design elements that are common to most idle games."

In his quest to draw inspiration from other MMOs, the structure and structure of RuneScape was one he studied closely, making the world of Melvor Idle in a parallel world with the 20-year-old RPG. "RuneScape was an essential base for the game due to the fact that it was such an important games for me" He explains."

Like many people, I started playing RuneScape because most of my friends at the time were playing it. Its being an online game was an important factor in this, that lower barrier for entry with RuneScape's depth of branching and complexity were what I kept coming back to the game for quite a long time -- which is something I wanted to replicate with Melvor Idle."

With Malcolm being open about his inspiration the word quickly spread to Jagex that fans were developing a game that was based on the company's own MMO. A member of staff flagged it to management, with director of product management Chris Pfeiffer telling us his team was impressed with "how much had been achieved and how much of it aligned with RuneScape Gold."

"The concept for Melvor Idle is in line with our fundamental principles of what makes the game truly live -- it was a perfect fit for us," said the executive. "Furthermore the idea of giving someone from our local community this opportunity is a great motivator for everyone in the company."