Jagex, the UK studio behind RuneScape, has announced a partnership with developer Games by Malcs to publish Melvor Idle 2: A RuneScape Adventure, an idle role-playing game (RPG) launching in Early Access on PC via Steam on November 17th.
According to a release, the sequel builds on Melvor Idle, which the companies said has sold over 1m units. The partnership also brings the series closer to the RuneScape franchise, with the new game officially branded as ‘a RuneScape Adventure’. Players can wishlist it on Steam ahead of launch.
Idle games, also called incremental games, let characters keep gaining resources and experience with little direct input, often continuing to progress while the game is closed. Melvor Idle 2 pairs that loop with RPG systems inspired by RuneScape.
How Melvor Idle 2 plays
Melvor Idle 2 is a single-player adventure in which players level up interconnected skills such as woodcutting, smithing, cooking, farming, combat and magic at their own pace. Building up ranged, melee and magic skills prepares them for dungeons, monsters and bosses, and offline progression keeps the adventure going between sessions.
The release lists five new skills, bringing the total to 29, along with a reworked Mastery system covering every skill. A new Quest system adds fresh ways to test combat skills and explores the history of the world of Melvor. The game also introduces game modes for the first time in the series, alongside updated graphics, audio and animations.
What the partners said
“Melvor Idle started as a small passion project inspired by RuneScape, so partnering with Jagex to make Melvor Idle 2 a true ‘RuneScape Adventure’ is a dream come true,” said Brendan Malcom, Founder of Games by Malcs. Malcom added that Jagex’s support lets the team go further with the new skills, Mastery and Quest systems and a new look.
Anna Mostyn-Williams, Senior Director of Business Development & Partnerships at Jagex, said: “Games By Malcs has built a passionate community by capturing what makes RuneScape’s skilling so satisfying, and Brendan has done that brilliantly. After Melvor Idle’s incredible success, we’re thrilled to build on it and publish Melvor Idle 2: A RuneScape Adventure.”
About Jagex
Jagex is headquartered in Cambridge, UK. According to the release, RuneScape has welcomed over 300 million player accounts and enters its 25th year in 2026. The company said it is expanding RuneScape into a broader set of games across more genres, including the launch of RuneScape: Dragonwilds in 2026.
The following was sent as a press release to Inven Global.
