Hoping to make realistic “simulated players” for his single-player MMO, Erenshor dev accidentally made a naked Leeroy Jenkins who would pull dungeon bosses

Erenshor, the recently launched single-player MMORPG deeply inspired by classic titles like Everquest, primarily revolves around its NPCs. The solo creator Brian “Burgee” crafted over 100 “simulated players,” each with distinct stories, items, and actions to enhance the immersive experience of this unique offline MMO.

Burgee intends to incorporate even more NPCs into Erenshor as it evolves in Steam early access, and he hopes to avoid repeating issues raised during player testing in an ironic twist of fate.

GamesRadar+ interviewed Burgee about his reactions to post-launch feedback. Interestingly, he unintentionally created his own version of Leeroy Jenkins, a famed World of Warcraft participant known for his enthusiastic battle cry and disastrous NPC engagement, which has echoed across the internet and been memorialized in numerous videos.

He’s, well, addressing it.

“The simulated players are definitely a major point of interest for many players now, aiming for them to act a bit more predictably,” Burgee mentions. “We’ve had players indicate that they’re preparing for a boss in a dungeon, and then a solitary simulated player, unequipped, will engage the boss instead and then draw it right toward them.”

“[I’m] working to reduce those occurrences further, alongside enhancing quality of life. The user interface requires substantial improvement. Making that a more seamless experience for users has been the two primary focuses this week.”

It’s quite ironic for a solo developer, who isn’t a huge MMO player himself post-Everquest, to accidentally replicate perhaps the biggest MMO’s most iconic player. It’s nearly a frame-for-frame reproduction, especially when it involves disrupting your own teammates. What remains is the pre-pull number crunch.

I am reminded of Bethesda veteran Joel Burgess’ perspective that “good things often occur by chance.” Even in offline MMOs, Leeroy Jenkins endures.

I’m not certain if I’d label Simulated Leeroy a flaw or a feature, but Burgee claims it has occurred “a few times.” Accordingly, “the latest patch notes I just released stated that simulated players will always wear pants now. I noticed many streams where they, for some reason, weren’t. The logic wasn’t entirely there, but it should be resolved.”

This is nearly as ironic as a creator developing a single-player experience mimicking a multiplayer one and players requesting that he implement actual multiplayer.

Austin has been a gaming journalist for 12 years, having contributed to outlets like PC Gamer, Eurogamer, IGN, Sports Illustrated, and more while completing his journalism degree. He’s been with GamesRadar+ since 2019. They’re yet to recognize that his role is a disguise for his enduring column on Destiny, and he has maintained this charade with a mix of news and occasional features, all while indulging in numerous roguelikes.