I’ve gained a lot of experience over the last couple of years finding out what works for Melvor as an idle game, and what the community wants to see from it as an evolving living game. : Now on the other side of things, what was the easiest part about developing Melvor Idle? What came naturally?īM: This is always a more difficult question! But I’d say it was when I got to really focus on the design and the direction of the game. But looking back I found that engagement was also what kept me going and allowed me to turn Melvor into a success.

In the early days engaging with the community could eat into the small hours of the morning, answering DMs and sharing details etc. Working 9-10 hours and coming home to develop a game that has no guarantee of success is very difficult! Looking back on it, a lot of the time wasn’t even spent on “developing” the game, but more on the connecting tissue, like the business side of things.

: What was the hardest part about developing Melvor Idle on your own? What kept you going when things started to get more difficult?īM: The hardest part was something common to most game developers who are trying to work around a regular job - time management. It was definitely a terrifying idea at the time, but it has certainly worked out for the best! I realized I had to make the choice between continuing with education or focus on what would eventually become Melvor Idle. It was only in 2019 that I dropped out of a university cybersecurity course to focus entirely on developing Mevlor Idle. : Did you already have a background in game development, or was this a completely new adventure for you?īM: As far as game development goes, Mevlor Idle is my first public project, and I’m an entirely self-taught coder. It was an idea I’d been toying with for a while, but really focusing on Melvor only started in 2019, and it only became my full-time focus last year. : You’re the founder of the Games by Malcs studio and undertook Melvor Idle’s development all on your own back in 2018?īrendan Malcolm, Games by Malcs founder: Yes! I’m the founder of Games by Malcs, and for a long time the solo developer behind Melvor Idle.

Melvor idle road map