It certainly might have looked as if Jagex, the self-described RuneScape Company, was barely capable of keeping three games going. But it did indeed that hurdle by all accounts. So now, surely, it’s time for the studio to rest for a moment before moving on to a new project? Nope: There is indeed a fourth RuneScape MMORPG on its way.
This newly unveiled project, bearing the working title RS4, is a new MMO built in Unreal Engine and set in the Sixth Age of Gielinor, years after the events of Dragonwilds and the destruction of the Dragon Queen Kuldra. That means players will start their lives in this game in the region of Ashenfall, but it’s also noted as “only the beginning” as it will expand into places both old and new.
“We want to build on the best of the tech development we’ve learned on Dragonwilds, and the best of the community co-development we’ve learned through RuneScape and Old School, and apply those principles to something new,” Jagex explains. “And of course, as a RuneScape game, integrity and permanent progression will be central to our design principles.”
With all of this revealed, it is also very important to note that this project appears to be in some extremely early stages of development, is noted as still “a few years away,” and was unveiled this early by Jagex in order to build it out with player feedback in mind. That does mean things like gameplay mechanics, platforms, and monetization have not been tied down. The studio does make it abundantly clear, though, that this is a project that will sit alongside its other games “as an independent experience.” For now, we at least have a teaser trailer below to ogle.
