“The response from players, the RuneScape community, and the industry so far has exceeded even our most hopeful expectations,” wrote Bellamy on LinkedIn. “And it’s reminded me just how much games — and the people behind them — can still surprise, and inspire us in the most unexpected ways. It’s the alchemy of this industry.”

According to Bellamy, more than 600,000 copies of RuneScape: Dragonwilds have been sold so far, and the game has also hit other community-oriented landmarks, including being the third most-watched game on streaming platform Twitch. When it comes to its reception, the game is currently sitting on an aggregate of Very Positive on Steam with more than 14,000 player reviews. According to Bellamy, this means that 84 percent of the game’s reviews on Steam are positive.

Bellamy has also thanked various parts of the game’s development team, including development and design teams led by Jesse America, Richard Turek, Carlos Verlee Vazquez, Robert Spencer Fox-Galassi, and Barry Hoffman. He has also thanked Gene Rozenberg and Ashton Mills for leading the audio team that worked on the game.

“Your creativity and commitment are fingerprints covering every part of this game,” wrote Bellamy. “At Jagex, we pride ourselves on putting our player communities at the centre of what we do. During the launch I saw that come to life in the most powerful way.”

“To everyone involved: A huge thank you. It really is a privilege to lead such dedicated teams, and I’m incredibly excited about the journey ahead for Jagex, our people and our players.”

RuneScape: Dragonwilds is available on PC (via Steam) as an Early Access title, and is priced at $29.99. The studio plans to keep the game as an Early Access title for “as long as it takes.” It has, however, stated that it hopes to do a 1.0 launch some time in early 2026. In the mean time, the game will get more content, including more systems, spells, and even new skills entirely.

In its current state, RuneScape: Dragonwilds has its first few regions, core survival systems, RuneScape Skills, and magic survival spells. There is also plenty of gear for players to craft, as well as a building system that players can take advantage of to build out their home base. The title also currently features the first planned Dragon boss – General Velgar – along with a host of dungeons to explore.

In its most recent update, the game got some tuning to its event systems, with the cooldowns between the Ghornfell Raids being raised from 2 in-game days to 4 days. These raid events have also seen other changes, including a reduction in frequency, and other balance changes, like the number of meteors in Velgar Meteor Barrages being reduced. More technical issues and UI bugs have also been fixed.

You explore Ashenfall, a new continent filled with magical threats, with up to four players. The main quest centers around crafting gear and confronting powerful dragons, culminating in a showdown with the Dragon Queen. Utilizing environmental magic called Anima, players can quickly harvest resources or summon spectral tools. Jagex says community input will actively shape ongoing updates and new content.

“This is just the start of our development journey,” said executive producer Jesse America. “We’ll be updating regularly and closely incorporating player feedback throughout Early Access.”

Upcoming updates include additional regions, quests, NPCs, gear, and quality-of-life enhancements. The next major addition teased by Jagex is Fellhollow, a zone described as existing “between life and death.”

RuneScape: Dragonwilds is available now in Early Access on Steam, priced at $29.99 / £24.99 / €29.99.

Set in Ashenfall, the story concerns the awakening of dragons. Since this is seemingly bad, players embark to find and defeat the Dragon Queen, though other hostile forces exist. The typical fantasy assortment of spells, swords, shields, and more are available. However, you can also build structures and houses to reside, even going as far as using magic to chop down trees. Solo play is available alongside co-op.

A separate “World” teaser trailer highlights the different locations in Ashenfall, from windmills and overgrown ruins to dungeons with dangerous-looking plants and foul swamps. The lighting and shadows stand out along with the foliage while the water realistically ripples. There’s even a bit of snowfall and lighting. Stay tuned for more details and a proper release date in the coming weeks.

"Single player was an important component of This Means Warp from the outset. We wanted to design a game that you could play with your friends, but didn’t require other people to enjoy."

How much does the experience differ across solo and co-op gameplay? Is co-op the ideal way to play the game, or can players looking for a solo experience get the most out of the game as well?

Single player was an important component of This Means Warp from the outset. We wanted to design a game that you could play with your friends, but didn’t require other people to enjoy. Playing solo works the same as 2 or 3 player – you control one character, and can recruit AI crewmates as you progress. The AI will do its own thing to help out around the ship, or you can point at specific objects to have them prioritize certain tasks.

During our beta playtest last year, we were surprised to find that single player was the most played mode in the game! There may be slightly less screaming than with a full crew of friends, but if your friends aren’t around or you’d like to take on the challenge solo – the option is there!

How extensive will the customization and upgrade mechanics for the ship be? Given the inherently repeatable nature of the game, what should players expect from these options when it comes to variety and the depth of the options available?

The default ship has 2 gun slots and 5 system slots, each of which can install a unique item with different functionality and stats. Finding balance and synergy between these items is key to surviving, and can result in some really interesting strategies! The items themselves can also be upgraded, so you can decide if you’d like a gun with more health but less damage, or a larger clip size but no armor, for example.

We’ll also be expanding the number of ships available in future updates, which will present new playstyle experiences and challenges.

What can you tell us about the game’s progression? Will players be able to unlock permanent upgrades that will carry over across runs?

Yes! Currently you gain XP as you play and complete achievements, which can unlock new characters, items, ship modifiers, etc. Unlocks don’t directly impact the player’s power level (so beating the game relies on skill and knowledge rather than grinding), but instead allows more variety and experimentation the more you play.

"We found a core turning point during development was when the ebb and flow of a run started to feel fun and natural. Battles are frenetic and intense, with downtime in between to improve your ship and develop your strategies."

It seems the game places quite a bit of emphasis on tactical combat. How have you gone about striking a balance between that and the seemingly fast-paced and frantic nature of the combat?

A LOT of playtesting! We found a core turning point during development was when the ebb and flow of a run started to feel fun and natural. Battles are frenetic and intense, with downtime in between to improve your ship and develop your strategies. That creates a really interesting balance of player decisions – those that are strategic and considered with no time pressure (e.g. what items should I install on my ship? How should I upgrade them to maximize efficiency?), and those that have to be made in the heat of the moment (which system should I use first? Where is the enemy most vulnerable?). Switching between the two keeps players on their toes!

What should players expect from enemies in the game in terms of design and variety?

Enemies are procedural, so have different weapons and equipment every time you play. This means the challenge is never quite the same, and we have plans to expand the available layouts and items for the system to pull from throughout This Means Warp’s Early Access. In addition, each boss has unique mechanics that give the player some new challenge to grapple with while they try to survive!

Can you tell us about how the game’s narrative adapts to players’ choices, and how much variation there will be on that front across runs?

Throughout a run, players collectively make decisions on how they’d like to interact with an encounter. The game can remember some of those decisions and adjust future encounters based on the players’ choices. For example, what may seem like a fairly innocuous decision to collect some spilled cargo may come back to bite you if you come across the cargo’s owner… The system is currently in its infancy for Early Access launch, but we’re planning to build out these kinds of interactions more as we add more content to the game.

"We’re focused on PC for Early Access but hope to bring to other platforms for 1.0 release. We’ll be announcing exactly which platforms a bit nearer the time."

What will the recruitable AI characters add to the game, both in terms of what they bring to the table for combat and for the story?

Each character has unique strengths that can impact your decision to hire them, or how you use them once recruited. We’ve found that players want to play in very different ways, so crewmates can be used to support the player’s strategy. We’ve intentionally kept the characters’ touchpoints to the story light, so players can fill in the gaps as they play as each character themselves!

Do you have any plans to bring This Means Warp to additional platforms following its launch?

Yes! We’re focused on PC for Early Access but hope to bring to other platforms for 1.0 release. We’ll be announcing exactly which platforms a bit nearer the time.

Right now, developer Flying Wild Hog is all about getting Shadow Warrior 3, and all the quirkiness and humor the series is known for, to us by 2021. But it seems that the revived FPS series isn’t the only thing the company has planned for next year. An unlikely team up has been announced that will see them seemingly tackle something quite different.

Via Twitter, it was announced that Flying Wild Hog and Jagex are teaming up for a new project. If you don’t know, Jagex is the developer behind the long running online RPGs, RuneScape and Old School RuneScape. The new project apparently runs on Unreal Engine 4 and is due out next year. They say they also planned opened and closed beta phases planned already.

Despite being planned in such a close time frame, there’s next to no specific details on the game. It’s only described as a sci-fi multiplayer action RPG, which could mean a number of different things. Most likely, whatever it’ll be will be shown off soon if it really is that close, so stay tuned.

We’re delighted to announce that we’re partnering with @Flying_Wild_Hog to create an all-new multiplayer sci-fi action-RPG: https://t.co/L8EFqq7IWD

So load up your laser guns, and roll on 2021! pic.twitter.com/upmHjdePW3

— Jagex (@Jagex) August 17, 2020

With that being said, I doubt that future generations will look back fondly with a twinkle in their eye and ask, “Do you remember Block N Load?” Developed in the Unity engine, the most popular and apt description of Block N Load is that the game is effectively just a mix of Minecraft and Team Fortress 2. But that’s not quite right, Block N Load feels more like the leftover remains of a head on collision involving Minecraft and Team Fortress 2 assets on an autobahn. Messy and scattered.

The general idea of Block N Load is two teams of five players duke it out in arenas constructed out of blocks, fighting for dominance whilst trying to destroy the other teams’ Cube, which is literally just a big cube. There are other game modes, but they’re all very run of the mill.

"You’re encouraged to build defenses for your team, dig pit fall traps lined with turrets, trench lines (that only serve to leave you open to headshots or trap you with explosives) and help out by deploying teleporters, but as mentioned above, nobody seems to care about these options and most would rather run on ahead and go solo."

One of the main aspects of the game seems to be the one thing that nobody cares about, and I found myself ignoring it too, the building mechanics. Each player in the game has a set of block types that they can place in the world by building them, they allow the construction of staircases and bridges, walls and the like. They even include special blocks, like team assisting turrets, useful bounce pads for reaching hard to reach areas, bombs and teleportation devices etc.

You would think these would be put to good use, but when the other players are more interested in fragging your entire team, then the focus on building quickly fades away and is replaced with gunplay.

You’re encouraged to build defenses for your team, dig pit fall traps lined with turrets, trench lines (that only serve to leave you open to headshots or trap you with explosives) and help out by deploying teleporters, but as mentioned above, nobody seems to care about these options and most would rather run on ahead and go solo.

The above mentioned building mechanics are all functional and do exactly what it says on the tin, but it just feels like so much unneeded chaff. Had building been incorporated into the game at a more fundamentally core level, like actually needing to construct your base to protect your cube, then it may have worked better and forced players down a more cooperative path, but as it stands, it’s fairly uninspired.

"Visually, I quite like the game's overall aesthetic. Unlike so many other games on the market at the minute, it’s packed with the colour and charm that seems to remain exclusive to the independent developer scene."

Players are asked to choose between one of six pre built classes of Hero. This is where the Team Fortress 2 comparisons come into play. There’s Sarge Stone, Juan Shinobi, Nigel Purdy-Longshott, Antony Tony Turretto (my personal favourite name in the game), Cogwheel and Doc Eliza Doolally. Each character’s name reflects their in-game attributes, with Mr Longshoot unsurprisingly rocking a sniper rifle and Sarge Stone carrying the machine guns and rocket launcher. Not that there’s anything wrong with that, it’s just not very original.

Visually, I quite like the game’s overall aesthetic. Unlike so many other games on the market at the minute, it’s packed with the colour and charm that seems to remain exclusive to the independent developer scene. All the weapons have a certain bulk to them that makes it all feel somewhat cartoonish whilst retaining the feel of, “Yep, that’s definitely a gun.” The most visually striking members of the cast would definitely be Cogwheel and Doc Eliza Doolally, both of which are vibrant and enjoyable characters.

From a sound design point of view, there’s nothing particularly remarkable, nor is there anything particularly bad. Despite the odd stuttering of sound effects or overlaying of sounds that meld into a cacophony of indecipherable noise, everything sounds as you would expect it to. Nice and cartoony, but clearly distinguishable as what it’s supposed to be.

"With all things being considered, Block N Load isn't an overtly offensive game. It’s a mostly functional, colourful and somewhat enjoyable first person shooter mired by its flaws."

Control wise, things get a little bit messy. Like everything else mentioned above, it works, but it just doesn’t work too well. In general, the controls feel far too floaty and out of synch with the gameplay. For a first person shooter, the relationship between player input and character reaction is key, but Block N Load feels as though every movement is a DOOM-era rocket skip. Precision platforming goes out the window if you try to sprint and the strange, “hold shift and tap forward” to mantle mechanic, if you can call it that, results in more jumps into the void than it does successful climbs. Beyond that, the control scheme is fairly normal, which is a good thing.

With all things being considered, Block N Load isn’t an overtly offensive game. It’s a mostly functional, colourful and somewhat enjoyable first person shooter mired by its flaws. The fun comes in short waves amid staggeringly deep valleys of repetition and paint by numbers gameplay that has been done better elsewhere. Ironically, Block N Load feels like a underwhelming sequel to a previous Jagex game, Ace of Spades which was, you guessed it, a first person shooter with building mechanics and a PvP focus. Fancy that.

This game was reviewed on the PC.

After ten years  at the helm, Rod Cousens is leaving the company he helped make such a big name the world over, as he is officially stepping down from his role as the CEO of Codemasters. He will now be joining Jagex, the developer of the popular game Runescape, instead.

“Throughout an illustrious career within the UK video games industry, Rod has presided over the likes of Activison, Acclaim and, most recently, Codemasters,” Jagex said in a statementt released exclusively to GamesIndustry.biz. “Now, in this latest role, he brings his experience, insight and acumen to Jagex as it enters a new chapter of business.

“Rod will oversee the company during a period of expansion in which the studio’s flagship title branches out into the collectable card game genre via the recently announced Chronicle: RuneScape Legends. Meanwhile the tactical online shooter, Block N Load, will bring its strategic combination of construction and marksmanship to the world on 30th April 2015. Away from the public domain, an additional number of games are currently moving through development towards announcement.”

As for Codemasters, Frank Sagnier, Codemasters’ Chief Operating Officer, is currently in charge to help the company through the transitory period, though it is expected that his rokle will become permanent once the formalities are completed.

“I am honored, humbled and excited to lead Codemasters through its next stage and we sincerely thank Rod for his many achievements and wish him every success in his new venture,” said Sagnier.

“Over the years, Codemasters has built award-winning games and franchises with an amazing pool of talent and the support of its principal shareholder, Reliance ADA. To this day, Codemasters remains an iconic brand and I am committed to making it shine brighter than ever. The industry’s continued growth, driven by the explosion of new platforms and new business models, represents a significant opportunity for Codemasters to expand existing IP and continue to innovate.”

Currently, Codemasters is working on releasing F1 2015 for Xbox One, PS4, and PC; they are also rumored to be working on a new game in the Dirt franchise.

Point is, it works. If you asked me to sum up Block N Load in one sentence, I’d probably say, “Imagine if Minecraft and Team Fortress 2 had a baby,” and leave it at that. Some people might say that that’s reductionist, but it’s really not. In fact, it’s probably the most accurate description I could give you of the game, as everything in it, from the art style, the humor, the game mechanics, the menus, the individual textured cubes that you can break and build, and even the game’s font borrows from either Team Fortress 2 or Minecraft in some way.

"The premise of Block N Load is pretty simple. Like Team Fortress, the game is a class-based shooter with an emphasis on objectives scattered around the map. Teams consist of five players, who are tasked with destroying the Generator Cube that powers the other team’s base."

The premise of Block N Load is pretty simple. Like Team Fortress, the game is a class-based shooter with an emphasis on objectives scattered around the map. Teams consist of five players, who are tasked with destroying the Generator Cube that powers the other team’s base. The wrinkle, however, is that, like Minecraft, the game world is made up of many interconnected blocks that you can create and destroy. Each team is given five minutes at the beginning of each match to build defenses and modify the game world around and under their base. You can select five different blocks at the beginning of each match, each of which has a different effect,  before the game starts, in addition to a sixth block that’s assigned to you based on your character class.

How you build is up to you. You wanna start digging a tunnel straight to the enemy base? Go for it. Maybe you’d rather make a pit to trap your enemies using blocks that break when stepped on. Or perhaps you’d rather spend your block spots on special items, like defensive turrets, radar dishes, or respawn points. The choice is yours, and they’re among the most important you’ll make in the game. Of course, you could choose not to do this, but the game puts an impenetrable curtain between the two bases while the teams make their respective preparations, so you really don’t have much choice. Indeed, half the fun comes from constructing your diabolical defenses and then sauntering over to the other team’s base to see what they’ve been up to once the curtain falls.

Once that happens, it’s chaos, as everyone splits off to attack the problem of the enemy Generator Cube alone or in small groups. Just like how you build your base, how you attack the objectives are up to you. Some players will inevitably stay back and play defense. Other people like to build a series of speed block followed by a jump block in an attempt to vault over the enemy’s walls, while folks like me like to try our luck digging, hoping to tunnel to the promised land. Pretty soon, the map is a ruined landscape of tragic experiments and grand plans gone wrong.

"There are six classes in all, and each fills the typical assault/defense/support roles that these kind of games thrive on, and while none of them do anything new, they are fairly fun to play, and Block N Load does has a good, if pretty crude, sense of humor."

Of course, the class you play as will have a pretty large impact on how you approach any situation. They’re all pretty standard fare, based on pretty standard archetypes. There’s Nigel Purdy-Longshott, a gentlemanly big game hunter who wields a long range, high powered rifle, Juan Shinobi, a Mexican ninja who eschews guns in order to excel at close range combat, and Cogwheel, a large, evil robot who acts as your tank. And is a large, evil robot. I don’t know if I mentioned that.

There are six classes in all, and each fills the typical assault/defense/support roles that these kind of games thrive on, and while none of them do anything new, they are fairly fun to play, and Block N Load does has a good, if pretty crude, sense of humor. Tony Turretto, the Italian foreman who is Block N Load’s equivalent of the Engineer, can place turrets, and repairs them by shooting sticky, white sploodge from his glue gun (yes, it’s entirely intentional, and yes, it’s referencing exactly what you think it is), and the game’s announcer often (loudly) asks, “What the Block are you gonna do?”

Yes, Block N Load is about as subtle as a sledgehammer, but the game is fun, derivative nature aside. That said, it does an incredibly poor job of teaching players how to play, and your first few matches will probably consist of little more than you trying to figure out how the heck everything works. This is exacerbated by the fact that you can’t currently change classes in-game (allegedly disabled because of a bug), which means you’re stuck with who you pick at the beginning of the game, even if you realize that you don’t like them about halfway through.

"Still, Block N Load is a lot of fun for those looking for a little more LEGO in their Team Fortress, or wish that Minecraft had more guns and quirky characters."

In addition, respawning takes far too long (up to 20 seconds), and the game’s matches aren’t timed, meaning you’re stuck in one until one team manages to pull off a win, which can take a long time, believe me. The game’s weapons also lack any sense of impact, and everything feels a little too much like the games Block N Load was “inspired by,” so the game never manages to shake that uncomfortable feeling of “been here, played that, and this is kind of stealing from it.”

Still, Block N Load is a lot of fun for those looking for a little more LEGO in their Team Fortress, or wish that Minecraft had more guns and quirky characters. It may not be original, and it definitely need s a few tweaks before it hits the big time, but if you’re looking to build and blast simultaneously, this is a shooter you’ll probably want to keep an eye on.

Blizzard created another hit out of nowhere when they released Hearthstone, the collectible card strategy game for PC that acted as a spin off and supplement to the Warcraft universe (while being set in it and based on it) earlier this year. The free to play title was an instant hit, and became the most played online card game easily, supplanting genre stalwarts such as Might and Magic and the Pokemon Trading Card Game.

Now, it looks like another MMORPG will be getting its own card based spin-off game: Jagex, the developers of the hit MMORPG Runescape, confirmed today that they would be developing a new game set in the Runescape universe, and that this game would be a collectible card game, same as Hearthstone.

“Played out within the pages of a living book the game focuses on quest building, allowing players to craft their own miniature RPGs against enemies, including classic RuneScape boss monsters, before entering into tense PvP combat,” says the press release.

It’s called Runescape Legends, and it is due some time next year, and that it will be hitting PC, smartphones, and tablets.

Jagex have released two new videos for their upcoming massively online tactical action game Transformers Universe- or a MOTA game, to be short and concise- that lift the wraps off two new characters that will be featured in the title. These characters are the Autobot Catapult and the Decepticon Shellshock.

The autobot Catapult “moves in the shadows with the strut of a notorious gunslinger and reads cross-winds like a circling hawk”. “A mysterious loner, the only trace this Autobot exists is a tag scratched into every ‘Con she dispatches to the scrapyard,” says her description.

The Decepticon Shellshock, on the other hand, is retired and isn’t liking it too much. He’s been “holed up in his armory feverishly waiting for the call” and is described as a “career killer”. His description says that if you put him in a battlefield, no matter where you put him, “[he] will have a blast every time.”

Take a look at the videos above.