The servers of Old School RuneScape are currently groaning under the “Gielinor Boom.” To better distribute the load caused by the numerous players, the team has now provided 18 new worlds. More are to follow.
What is known about the new worlds? The developers of Old School RuneScape have already provided 18 new worlds, of which 4 are for Germany. 15 more worlds are to follow shortly. In the official announcement on runescape.com, it says:
The Gielinor Boom continues! Thanks to all of you, the world feels more alive than ever before, and with it comes the need for even more space to roam, quest, PvM, skill, and style in player interactions.
The goal of the developers is to ensure a stable and performant gaming experience in the fantasy world of Gielinor despite the currently very high player numbers. Just over a week ago, MeinMMO reported that at times more than 200,000 players were live in Old School RuneScape.
This is a remarkable number for a 12-year-old MMORPG that is based on the 2007 version of a 24-year-old MMORPG (RuneScape, of course).
In Pursuit of the Hype
What’s behind the boom? That is a good question. One might refer to the freshly released update Varlamore: The Final Dawn, which is certainly attracting many players to the servers. However, the rising player numbers could already be observed before the release of the content pack.
Also noteworthy: Although Old School RuneScape (like RuneScape as well) is part of the core 10 MMORPGs with the best ratings on Steam, the newly added reviews have rarely rated it better than “Mixed” throughout the year – currently, only 69 percent of the 230 reviews from the past 30 days are positive.
What stands out when looking at the reviews:
- Diverse critical reviews come from players who have already spent hundreds of hours in Old School RuneScape. Sometimes they criticize the monetization, sometimes unjustified bans, the high grind factor (which is still often praised), or technical issues.
- Especially the increased price for membership annoys many fans who actually love the game. The management style of the new CEO is also receiving criticism.
- Old School RuneScape receives a lot of praise for its active community, the plethora of content, the significant improvements the game has received over the years, and the nostalgic yet still very engaging gaming experience.
Ultimately, it can be stated: Most of the criticism does not actually concern the gaming experience itself, but rather the surrounding factors of monetization, technology, management, and account security. The game itself also excites many of the critics (or has drawn them to the servers for hundreds of hours).
Perhaps the current boom can be explained when looking at the entire genre. New MMORPGs that captivate are a rarity. Many of the current early access titles are disappointing. Exciting projects are being cancelled or postponed.
At the same time, many players long for a consistent MMORPG with an active community that will reliably be around for the next few years and in which it is worthwhile to invest time. Just such an online RPG is Old School RuneScape. Or what is your assessment? By the way, the original RuneScape is also undergoing some changes: Popular MMORPG leads story arc to an “epic conclusion” that began 24 years ago
