Runic Announces Torchlight II

On the heels of acclaim for its successful Diablo-like PC action RPG Torchlight from 2009, developer Runic Games reveals it's creating a sequel, a move it calls " the logical next step for us given the phenomenal enthusiasm of gamers petitioning us for multiplayer." Cooperative multiplayer is just one of the elements Torchlight II will add, alongside new character classes, an "expansive" overworld, new enemies, quests and dungeons. When the game launches in spring 2011 (initially as a digital download, Runic says), the company promises to offer the game at "a low price point" and include matchmaking for free, continuing the focus on accessibility that helped the studio succeed with Torchlight, which launched at $20. "We’re so proud of everything Torchlight accomplished, and we feel that Torchlight II will not only give the fans everything they’ve asked for, but far surpass its predecessor in terms of fun, balance, customization, story, and just being a great game to play with your friends," says Runic Games CEO Max Schafer. Just after Runic announced that Torchlight sold 500,000 units in its first six months on sale, the game's publisher, Perfect World, bought an $8.4 million majority stake in Runic Games -- alongside the studio's revelation that it would be developing an MMO set in Torchlight's universe. According to today's announcement, Torchlight II is an entirely separate project, and that the MMO is still in the works. "We still are going to make the MMO, but it became apparent that Torchlight II was the logical next step for us given the phenomenal enthusiasm of gamers petitioning us for multiplayer," Schafer says.