MechScape Lives, Stellar Dawn Announced

Despite telling GamesIndustry.biz that MechScape was cancelled last year, Jagex has apparently decided to continue development of the sci-fi MMORPG and release it in 2011. As many fans had already deduced some time ago, the "official" title of the game will be Stellar Dawn:
JAGEX GAMES STUDIO ANNOUNCES STELLAR DAWN

THE EAGERLY ANTICIPATED NEW SCI-FI MMO BY WORLD FAMOUS DEVELOPER AND PUBLISHER JAGEX WILL BE RELEASED IN 2011

Wednesday 14th July/...Jagex Games Studio, the world-leading browser games developer and publisher, today announced the development of Stellar Dawn, the studio's latest MMORPG.

Stellar Dawn is an MMO with deep and compelling science fiction storylines and a variety of gameplay styles. The game, which is scheduled for release next year, will offer players the opportunity to explore vast worlds of futuristic environments and engage with an extensive backstory as they progress through the game.

(Stellar Dawn will be Jagex's biggest release to date and everyone at the studio is absolutely electric with excitement as we enter the final stages of development,) said Mark Gerhard, Jagex CEO. (We are really happy with how well Stellar Dawn has come together. The team has deftly blended art, content and technology to provide the entertaining, long-term game appeal that we have become famous for. As we approach the public launch next year we will be revealing many more details about the game to the community on stellardawn.com.)

As with all Jagex games, Stellar Dawn will be widely accessible and playable on almost any PC or Mac with an internet connection - thanks to Jagex's proprietary online-games platform. A sizeable proportion of the game will be playable free of charge, adding to the studio's already substantial free-to-play games portfolio.

Players wishing to find out more about the game, or those who want to apply for a chance to participate in the closed beta, should sign up on the Stellar Dawn website - www.stellardawn.com

About Jagex Games Studio

Jagex Games Studio is one of the largest independent games developers and publishers in Europe.

The studio, which is best known for RuneScape, the world's most popular free-to-play MMO, specialises in the development of high quality browser-based games.

Jagex has a long-standing reputation for creating the best online games by developing hugely popular, accessible, free-to-play games and for providing an unbeatable community experience for millions of players worldwide.