Peaceful online RPG Book of Travels will no longer launch this month

Two explorers arrive at a green village — (Image credit: Might and Delight)

Self-described "Tiny Multiplayer Online RPG" Book of Travels has cancelled a planned August 30 release date, with no new departure date on the horizon for the peaceful exploration-focused adventure.

Announced back in 2019 from the creators of Shelter, Book of Travels is a gentle attempt to radically reimagine the MMORPG genre—one without explicit quests or grand cataclysmic storylines, where travelling the world is its own story and the rare encounters with baddies are terrifying and traumatic. Players will stumble across each other incidentally, hopefully forming bonds through limited communication tools.

As per Rachel's preview last November, it sounds fascinating and looks gorgeous. But we'll have to wait a little longer to explore Might and Delight's world, with the developer today announcing on Steam that Book of Travels simply needs more time.

"We're giving this project our all, and have been doing so for years now," the developer writes. "It feels strange to be so close to 'the finish line' that is the Early Access launch and have all of you be able to experience our game with us.

"However – we aren't as close as we like to, or even thought we'd be. This became apparent to us during the course of our closed beta, as our wonderful testers sent their reports to us. So we made the difficult decision to postpone the launch of the game once more. The team simply needs the time to stabilize it."

It's a shame, but only because Book of Travels really does look to be doing something special. The idea of an RPG where I don't have to be a grand hero slaying bandits by the wagon-load has long tickled my fancy, and if I have to wait a little longer before writing my own tale in the Book of Travels, so be it.

20 years ago, Nat played Jet Set Radio Future for the first time, and she's not stopped thinking about games since. Joining PC Gamer in 2020, she comes from three years of freelance reporting at Rock Paper Shotgun, Waypoint, VG247 and more. Embedded in the European indie scene and a part-time game developer herself, Nat is always looking for a new curiosity to scream about—whether it's the next best indie darling, or simply someone modding a Scotmid into Black Mesa. She also unofficially appears in Apex Legends under the pseudonym Horizon.