Developer Jagex has announced a fourth Runescape MMO that’s planned to sit alongside all the other games in the long-standing fantasy series.
Jagex revealed the “entirely new Runescape MMORPG” at RuneFest Birmingham this weekend with the apt working title of RS4. The studio stressed that RS4 won’t be the name this MMO launches with, but it makes sense for now considering it’s the company’s “fourth generation” of Runescape. All we have is a short teaser trailer – take a look below.
So, what’s different the fourth go around? This time, RS4 is notably being built on Unreal Engine and is set in Gielinor – during the sixth age but years after the recently-released Runescape Dragonwilds – with the adventure starting in Ashenfall.
“Our ambition is for this adventure to grow far beyond Ashenfall over time, moving into places you know and love, as well as opening up new places and stories across Gielinor,” the studio writes in a new blog post.
Runescape 4 – or whatever it’s eventually, officially called – is “still a few years away,” according to the developer, but Jagex announced this new project so far in advance so it can build the MMO alongside the fans: “For 25 years, RuneScape has been shaped by its players. We’ve learned that our games are at their best when we build with you, not just for you. So we want to do that from the beginning, and that means bringing you into the development journey earlier than you might expect – sharing ideas, testing things, listening and learning as we go.”
Jagex was also keen to stress that RS4 won’t be a replacement for any of its existing Runescape games, including Old School, Runescape, or Dragonwilds. Each of those games will apparently still hold on to their own “dedicated teams, exciting roadmaps and continued investment.”
“25 years ago, Runescape began with a world, a small team and a community that helped turn it into something far bigger than anyone could have imagined. Now we get to start another adventure together.”