Developer Jagex hosted its fan festival Runefest 2017 over the weekend. It became clear here that Runescape will focus more on its veterans and nostalgia in the future. The modern mobile version of Runescape is also aimed at players from the past. Our author Leya was on-site. She tested the mobile version and spoke with the developers about the new strategy.
The MMORPG Runescape was released by the British developer studio Jagex in 2001. For many genre enthusiasts, Runescape was one of the first MMORPGs they ever played. This was partly due to the fact that Runescape launched as a free browser game on PC at that time. The entry into the medieval fantasy world of Gielinor was easy and attracted a lot of young audiences.
This young audience from back then is now older and has a ton of adult responsibilities: paying rent, investing energy into work or education, starting and supporting a family.
All of this makes it difficult for MMORPG lovers over 30 to fully immerse themselves in their game. Because complex MMORPGs like Runescape require a lot of time and are not suitable for casual play.
Developer Jagex is aware of this and is now tackling a new strategy with Runescape, focusing primarily on veteran players and nostalgia.
Runescape Returns to Its Roots – Wants to Bring Back Veterans
Together with 1,650 guests from the Runescape community, I plunged into Runefest 2017 on Saturday. Runefest is a festival open to press and fans of the MMORPG classic.
At Runefest, there were:
- the 12-month plan: Announcements for the development of the game such as the new monster combat mode
- the world premiere for Runescape and Oldschool-Runescape for mobile. For the first time, Runescape could be played on smartphone or tablet.
- the autumn finals of Runescape eSports “Deadman”. ‚5PLUS50K12‘ won the autumn edition of the Deadman tournament and a prize pool of $20,000. #TeamLUL won another $10,000, which will benefit the charity Make-a-Wish.
- Fan and community activities
Runefest 2017 was themed “Back to Our Roots” – This was already clearly visible in the decoration. As I entered the hall for Runefest, I found myself directly in the scenery of Lumbridge. This is the first place where players begin their adventures in Runescape. Here, Jagex made a clear statement about where the journey should go: into the past.
Mobile Version of Runescape Aiming at Veterans – Market is Larger According to Developer
At Runefest 2017, I was able to personally test the mobile version of Runescape.
There are two different versions of Runescape, both coming to mobile devices:
- The classic or Oldschool Runescape: Oldschool RuneScape is an older version of the fantasy MMORPG from 2007. The graphics also look pixelated and old, but fans of the classic wouldn’t want it any other way. This retro version of Runescape still receives updates and is maintained.
- The “normal” Runescape: This is the modern form of the classic, which has received a graphical update and gets different content than Oldschool Runescape.
Since I am not a Runescape player myself, I was able to log in with a guest account and roam around in the world of Gielinor on smartphone and tablet. Fans who had an account on PC could log in directly with it on mobile devices.
Especially Oldschool Runescape ran surprisingly smoothly. It works with point-and-click mechanics. The user interface is well-suited for mobile devices and is easy for developers to implement.
Even though classic Runescape ran quite smoothly, I found it visually rather unappealing. For veterans and fans of Oldschool Runescape, this shouldn’t be a problem thanks to nostalgia. After all, it is indeed the original version that runs on smartphone and tablet, and it just works well.
For me – as a non-player – the modern version of Runescape was more interesting. Although still needing work on the too-complex user interface, I quickly found myself engrossed in the game. On desktop, the modern Runescape might look visually outdated, but on the smaller screen of the smartphone or tablet, it looked appealing:
Jagex revealed already during the announcement in July, that they want to reach especially inactive regular players with this step. However, as a non-player who had already handled the mobile version, I wondered why. I could very well imagine stumbling upon Runescape in the app or play store and downloading it once the interface is consistent.
Runescape Wants to Reach Ex-Players via Mobile
The answer was given to me by Jagex Senior Product Manager Matt Casey in an interview. According to Casey, the market of inactive Runescape players is huge. Player surveys indicated that they would love to continue playing Runescape if they could make the game more flexible. That is what Runescape can offer on mobile devices.
Jagex believes it is an effective strategy to bring back old players through nostalgia. This is one of the reasons why Runescape will only be available as a full version on smartphones. It aims at former players who need options to game on the go or comfortably on the couch.
- Oldschool Runescape already runs smoothly enough with its interface to appear in beta for Android and iOS by the end of 2017.
- The “normal” Runescape still has too many issues and will follow later. The user interface still needs to be adapted and simplified for mobile devices.
Here’s a comparison. On the upper smartphone is Runescape and on the lower device is Oldschool Runescape:
Runescape Retracts with Huge Updates like Menaphos
In June, we reported about the mega-update “Menaphos” in Runescape. Jagex announced at that time that from now on there would be a huge update like Menaphos every few months. The weekly mini-updates were to be discontinued.
Overall, Menaphos was only received moderately within the community. The changes didn’t seem to be what the players actually hoped and wished for. Menaphos was supposed to give players the opportunity to enjoy Runescape even with a busy life through actions such as the “5-Minute Dungeon.” However, this altered the feeling towards the game too much for most veterans.
For this reason, Jagex is now retracting with these huge updates and wants to return to the roots together with the players. The focus is now on things players have long wished for in Runescape. Many of the announcements from Runefest 2017 were already known in the community and were not regarded as a big surprise, including the Mage Arena II – the continuation of a popular mini-game in Runescape.
In addition to new content, especially old features and skills are getting a rework. Guilds, Hints, or Deep-Sea Fishing are among them. This could also be interpreted as a sign of reaching out to their veterans and improving the game as they know it.
Major new announcements at Runefest 2017 included:
- A new raid and a grandmaster adventure for Oldschool Runescape in 2018. Groups of up to five players will face a diabolical army of vampires.
- A new monster combat mode “Dimension of the Damned” is coming in October 2017 – considered by the community to be the most exciting update. “Dimension of the Damned” is a time-limited event that transports players to another dimension. A horde of the dead descends upon Gielinor, and players must survive against the zombies in a fight to the death.
The Way Back – Does it Lead Runescape to Happiness?
Leya thinks: Jagex has focused its future plans on the veterans of Runescape. The developers make it clear that they want to return to their roots and use nostalgia to bring back old players. Worldwide, Runescape currently has two million players logging in every month.
Huge updates like Menaphos may not have been the right strategy to meet these players’ needs. Perhaps here, player desires were misinterpreted at Jagex. The mobile full-version of Runescape could actually be the key to making (ex-)veterans happy and adapting to their needs. They want to play the familiar Runescape, not a modified version like the Menaphos expansion.
It could be a dangerous long-term strategy to only focus on the old market and neglect new players. For the moment, however, it seems to me that focusing on its existing (ex-)player base is a sensible strategy for Jagex.
Because these are exactly the players who love this somewhat quirky MMORPG with British humor. They don’t need high-end graphics and appreciate the edges and pixels that are part of Runescape.
Mobile May Perhaps Attract Minecraft Fans
Nevertheless, I believe that especially the mobile version could bring a surge of new players. Oldschool Runescape would be appealing with its blocky look to players who are also totally into chunky Minecraft and want a complex game on mobile. The modern Runescape looks appealing on smaller screens, but it still has a lot of work to do on its interface before release.
How Runescape is received by new players and veterans remains to be seen until the mobile version is actually released.
