![]() 2020 saw growth in both flavours of the game which is fantastic and has helped us reach record combined membership levels this year. For other players who are looking for a higher fidelity experience with more modern features and presentation, we provide that option as well. This was really about giving players a choice, so for those that remember the game they played back in the computer lab at school, or on their parents laptop, can experience the game exactly as they remember it. Matt Casey - Dave nailed it, but I’d also add that we made a brave decision to branch the game back in 2013 with the launch of Old School RuneScape. It’s like waiting eagerly for the next story in your favourite series. You can play for free and get a portion of the game map, quests and skills, but you are missing out on the constant supply of new content, new stories and new skills to train, and to be a part of that you need a subscription. It’s a bustling little game, and that bustle comes as a benefit for being a subscriber. We release substantial, episodic content every month, with patch weeks and events running on top of that. ![]() What do you think spurs that interest? Why do so many people pay when the base game is already free?ĭave Osborne - We actually think of ourselves as a subscription game. Jagneaux: Hitting a new all-time record number of paid subscribers at 1.2M in 2020 is a huge deal. RuneScape can be played intensely with exciting combat and precision skilling, but it can also be a very relaxing experience, with many players spending hours making use of the more AFK aspects of the game, making progress in a second screen while engaging in other activities, such as watching a TV show, shopping or maybe even working. RuneScape also differs significantly by offering lean-back gameplay. They remind me very much of the LucasArts point-and-click classics like Monkey Island and Loom, with bizarre characters and proper head-scratching puzzles. ![]() I particularly love the many intricate quests that RuneScape has which are rarely seen in other games these days. Laced with whimsical storytelling, and a good dose of British humour (dad jokes and puns a specialty), RuneScape is the perfect antidote to the swathes of cookie-cutter MMORPGs that exist today. Matt Casey - I think RuneScape offers a genuinely alternative fantasy experience that is at once deep, clever and extraordinarily compelling. This is the RuneScape world in its entirety, but with controls and interfaces that are tailored for mobile. That last one can’t be understated enough, as RuneScape is the first MMO that is coming to mobile without making any concessions like chopping out content or porting over PC controls. Now, that reasonably low barrier means that RuneScape is well-placed to be multi-platform, as shown by us coming to Steam in 2020 and mobile in 2021. In the early days, that meant people could play in libraries or quickly boot it up on a browser round a friend’s house. RuneScape doesn’t make high demands of the platform you play it on. In today's market, what helps RuneScape differentiate itself the most?ĭave Osborne - The things that differentiated RuneScape 20 years ago are still doing a decent job of making us stand out today. With high-end subscription games like WoW and FFXIV continuing to go strong, buy-to-play games like Guild Wars 2 and ESO chugging away, and countless other free-to-play games across mobile, PC, and console, there are so many options for people. Jagneaux: The MMO space is more competitive now than ever. The game has a wonderfully evergreen design which encourages players to be good to one another and becomes meaningfully social with the community building genuine friendships, many of which have lasted as long as the game itself. We empower our players to have a say in the future of the game through our polls, social channels, surveys and more recently, collaborative design sessions over Zoom during lockdown conditions. Alive and ever-evolving for 7,306 (count ’em) days, the game brings a world that is continually changing and gives our players new experiences and adventures all the time. Matt Casey, Product Director: RuneScape is a living game. Players might come to RuneScape for the humorous tone, the lower specs needed to play, or because it’s on mobile, but I believe it’s the bond with the player character that has kept people playing for that crazy 20 years. Your avatar becomes the trophy for everything you’ve done in RuneScape. There are few reasons to create a second account, as RuneScape doesn’t offer varying player classes, so every choice you make and every increment of progress is stacked on top of the character. Dave Osborne, Lead Designer: I would say it’s the relationship a player forms with their character.
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