Many MMORPGs rely on microtransactions to generate ongoing revenue. A 12-year-old representative of the genre is now doing the opposite. Players should vote in a survey on whether they want to keep a controversial mechanic. After just one day, the community showed: Get rid of it!
Which game is this about? The current version of RuneScape, RuneScape 3, has existed since 2013. On February 4, 2014, the mechanic Treasure Hunter
was introduced (there was previously a different variant of microtransactions called Squeal of Fortune
). Players can open chests with keys. Some activities have unlocked free keys for you, but you can also purchase them with real money.
Powerful items of various rarities may be contained in the chests. So if you have spent a lot of money, the chances are high that you have better equipment than players who have not spent as much money.
Accordingly, the mechanic is also controversial within the community. After microtransactions in RuneScape had been a topic for a while, they decided to conduct a survey about the future of Treasure Hunter. The community voted against it just one day later. The wish will be fulfilled, but it is supposed to be about more than just this one mechanic.
What was this survey about? The survey on the official RuneScape site started on October 29, 2025, and is not a traditional one. The developers at Jagex asked for at least 100,000 votes. One day later, they already achieved this (via Reddit) and according to the survey, this means for the game:
- Complete removal of Treasure Hunter.
- 225 special items will be removed, including direct experience points items and
Skilling Items
(they mention this in a list on their website). - A roadmap will be published that addresses future improvements to integrity, such as the user interface.
- The future release of cosmetic toggle options for customizing cosmetic visibility.
In the blog post about the survey, the developers explicitly mention that they will also keep an eye on the excess
votes beyond the 100,000, as a signal for the direction the game should take. The survey is expected to be online until November 11. In a YouTube video about the survey, they go into more detail:
This is something we need to fix.
What do the developers explain in the video? The major changes are intended to secure the future of RuneScape. The head behind the game, Jon Bellamy, explicitly calls it: one of the most important moments in RuneScape’s history.
According to Bellamy, the most problematic elements of our microtransaction offering are those that allow players to skip the core gameplay.
Generally, an important aspect mentioned in the video is the integrity of the game. This should not only be improved in terms of monetization but in many areas of the game.
According to the video, the majority of the community wanted, according to a previous survey, for microtransactions to be significantly reduced. Many likely also mentioned that they would like access to less aggressive progress-boosting options
. The developers mentioned in the blog post that bonus experience points can still be purchased as they do not distract from core gameplay.
Additionally, cosmetic content that can be purchased with real money should continue to be released for RuneScape. Jagex wants to find a balance for the future of RuneScape between purchasable content and the desired integrity.
How the future approaches will look remains to be seen. The developers want to publish a roadmap for the major changes. A big topic remains monetization, of course, as microtransactions are often a significant source of income for service games. The world of the other RuneScape is full of quirky stories: A player from a popular MMORPG wants to eat 500,000 fish, but the community believes he just wants to get rich
