GAMING SPECIAL
RuneScape, the world’s longest running massive multiplayer online game. Initially the brainchild of brothers Andrew, Paul and Ian Gower, RuneScape will celebrate its 20th birthday in 2021 and is, apparently, more popular than ever, having welcomed a record number of players to its game worlds in 2019. “Community has always been at the heart of RuneScape,” says Jagex’s Rich Eddy of the game’s enduring popularity. “Players interact with each other, build relationships outside the game and have been on the journey with us over the last 20 years.”
Indeed, players are now directly influencing the way Old School RuneScape (the company’s retro title) expands, with all new developments being put to a player vote before they are implemented in the game. As you can imagine, RuneScape isn’t going anywhere, but Rich says Jagex is also looking to expand its horizons to ensure it continues to thrive in a changing industry. “Most of our team work on RuneScape and Old School RuneScape,” he says. “But we’re looking to expand our portfolio and have a new game in the early stages of development and production. We’re also talking to other studios about how we can help them bring their games to life. We have years of experience of running the back-end stuff, maintaining a live game and keeping
We have years of experience of running the back-end stuff and maintaining a live game. With the rise of different publishing services, I think more firms like ours will look to partner with smaller studios to help take their titles to market"
11
ISSUE 06
cambridgecatalyst.co.uk
Powered by FlippingBook