Brighter Shores: Early Access release date & everything we know

Brighter Shores is a brand new upcoming MMO from former lead RuneScape developer and Jagex co-founder Andrew Gower. With the game set to debut very soon, here’s everything we know about what’s on offer.

Set in the town of Adothria, Brighter Shores sets players up as town guards in the small town of Hopeport. From there, the world quickly becomes their oyster as they level up, learn professions, fight enemies, and meet unique characters.

Fans of Old School RuneScape will also find the game’s design very familiar, as Gower and his team draw on the years of experience developing that iconic title and its precursor.

With plenty to jump into, this is all you need to know about Brighter Shores ahead of its release.

Brighter Shores Early Access release date

Fen Research

Brighter Shores is set to debut into Steam Early Access on November 6, with a closed beta test scheduled for October 22. The game is available on both Windows PC and Mac, so Apple users can join in with the proverbial party.

Brighter Shores key features

Fen Research

Brighter Shores is unusual in that it launches with a free-to-play model that doesn’t feature any microtransactions. Instead, monetization comes in the form of a premium pass, the details of which are yet to be confirmed. All of the rest of the content is free, with an extensive roadmap planned for the future.

As mentioned earlier, the game is designed entirely in a classic tabletop art style with tiles that should be immediately recognizable to OSRS players. The graphics are undoubtedly more modern, though the inimitable style remains.

It seems as though the developers are also trying to strike a delicate balance between those who play MMOs for combat and those who play for a more relaxed, social experience. All the usual kill quests and terrifying monsters are present, while relaxed pastimes like fishing and cooking fill in the gaps for players looking for something a little cozier.

Lastly, the developer is making great strides in being respectful of people’s time. In a relatively unusual idea for an MMO, players will be able to continue to level their professions while logged out of the game. This idle leveling will be at a reduced rate, as yet unspecified by Fen Research.

That’s all there is to know about Brighter Shores heading into its release date. We’ll continue to update this guide with further information as it’s revealed ahead of the Early Access period.