Jagex, known for the long-lasting MMORPG Runescape, is currently working on a new online role-playing game. This time, the team is using the Unreal Engine. Action is supposed to be at the forefront.
What has Jagex announced? The developer studio stated,
Nathan Richardsson has been hired.
He is working as an Executive Producer on a currently unannounced online action role-playing game, which is being developed based on Unreal Engine 4.
Who is Nathan Richardsson? He has been working in the games industry for 15 years and contributed to EVE Online at CCP Games. Other games he worked on include:
- Dust
- World of Darkness
- Defiance
Additionally, he has worked at Ubisoft Montreal and Behaviour Digital.
Have any other new employees been hired? Yes, there are additional new hires, as Jagex wants to assemble a team of passionate and experienced MMO developers to work on the new online game.
- Pete McKay as Director of Community (formerly at CCP and Riot Games)
- Agatha Bejan as Head of CRM and Player Engagement (formerly at EA, Microsoft, and NaturalMotion)
- Alan Krause as Senior Director of Game Engineering (formerly at SOE, Trion, Amazon)
What kind of game could this be?
What kind of game is being created here? Very little has been revealed about the title.
However, the term online action RPG suggests that we can expect an active, fast-paced combat system.
Will it be an MMORPG? The developers are refraining from calling the project an MMORPG. Therefore, it is conceivable that this might be more of a cooperative experience:
- Perhaps we can expect something along the lines of Lost Ark but with fewer players: Something more like Torchlight or Diablo
- Or it could be a game that draws inspiration from Monster Hunter World and Dauntless? An online role-playing game for smaller groups to embark on adventures together.
The use of Unreal Engine 4 indicates that the title should also be visually impressive.
Does this game connect with other Jagex projects? Already in May of last year, Jagex stated that they were working on a Next-Gen MMORPG that is supposed to be very accessible. However, this game was referred to as an MMORPG, which could mean it is a different project.
It is more likely that this is the Free2Play game that has been talked about even two years ago.
What does the community think about it? There is some skepticism, as Jagex has not achieved success with other games outside of Runescape.
Stellar Dawn and Transformers Universe were canceled. However, the now 18-year-old Runescape continues to thrive, and Jagex has significant experience in keeping an online game interesting over an immensely long period.
Makav3liii writes on Reddit cynically: “Jagex has never successfully made a game. Every time they try, it gets canceled or fails. The only MMO is Runescape, which was made by three people who haven’t worked there in 10 years.”
Some fans are also showing interest and are curious about what Jagex can develop for a modern online role-playing game.
When we will learn more about this project is currently unclear.
