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RuneScape creator delays his new MMO to November 6 at the last minute: 'Apparently there is some sort of election thingy on the 5th - who knew?!'
Brighter Shores, the new MMO from RuneScape creator Andrew Gower, is delaying its Steam Early Access launch from November 5th to November 6th to avoid clashing with the US presidential election, offering a cozy, low-poly fantasy world with no microtransactions and encouraging AFK play.
RuneScape's original creator Andrew Gower is returning to MMOs a little later than planned because a certain political event happens to land on November 5.
Brighter Shores marks Gower's return to the genre with all the isometric perspectives, low-poly visuals, humble fantasy world, and life sim nuggets that made RuneScape a household name. The new MMO was once supposed to hit Steam early access on November 5, following a closed beta period starting on October 22, but it was apparently delayed to its new date because two politicians are competing to rule over the American machine on the very same day.
"We have decided to push the launch of Brighter Shores back to [November 6], because apparently there is some sort of election thingy on the 5th," Gower tweeted. "Who knew?!"
Jokes aside, he's obviously referring to the US presidential election between Kamala Harris and Donald Trump, which is sure to dominate headlines and suck up attention from every other corner of the internet on November 5. On the flip side, at least anyone looking forward to Brighter Shores doesn't need to choose between voting and rotting in a desk chair with a new MMO all day.
But there's no rush, regardless of when you start Brighter Shores. Andrew Gower previously told GamesRadar+ that this is "not a traditional MMO where you play, get to the endgame, and that's where the game actually starts." Brighter Shores is focused on charting a different, comfier course, slotting into your everyday life, and even encouraging AFK play so you can bypass some busywork.
Brighter Shores' storefront description estimates that it'll be in early access for around half a year, in which time the developers plan to add PvP, new quests, and build on "hundreds of hours of gameplay."