The next big step for the 25-year-old role-playing game is already in the works, but it is not intended to replace the previous titles.
After 25 years, RuneScape is actually getting another major fresh start. At RuneFest in Birmingham, Jagex announced a new MMORPG currently in development under the working title RS4. There isn’t a final name yet, but one thing is already certain: The game is being developed using the Unreal Engine and is set to take you back to Gielinor.
However, you shouldn’t expect a release anytime soon. According to Jagex, the project is still in an early stage of development and is several years away from release. The early announcement is entirely intentional: Just as with RuneScape and Old School RuneScape, the studio wants to involve the community in the development process as early as possible.
RS4 is not intended to replace the existing RuneScape games
Anyone already worried about the characters they’ve nurtured for years can breathe a sigh of relief for now. RS4 is not intended to replace RuneScape, Old School RuneScape, or RuneScape: Dragonwilds. According to Jagex, all games will retain their own teams and will continue to receive new content.
Instead, the studio views the new MMORPG as an additional way to experience the world of RuneScape. In doing so, Jagex is drawing on both the technical experience the team gained with RuneScape: Dragonwilds and the collaboration with the community that has been practiced for years.
The starting point of the journey is also already known. RS4 takes place during the Sixth Age in Gielinor and begins in Ashenfall. You’re already familiar with this continent from RuneScape: Dragonwilds. The new MMORPG begins several years after the events of that game and the defeat of the Dragon Queen Kuldra.
However, Ashenfall is intended to be merely the starting point. In the long term, Jagex plans to significantly expand the game world, visiting both familiar regions of Gielinor and entirely new areas.
Among the things the studio does not yet wish to discuss are platforms, the combat system, skills, accounts, memberships, and the exact progression system. Further information about the game and how the community can be involved in its development is scheduled for release in 2027.
RuneScape is also getting an animated series
But that’s not all: Jagex is also using the 25th anniversary to expand RuneScape beyond the games. Together with Lyrical Animation and YouTuber Charlie “MoistCr1TiKaL” White, the company is working on an animated adaptation of the role-playing game series.
This project is also still in its early stages. The series is intended to build upon RuneScape’s 25-year history and the world of Gielinor. No specific details regarding the plot, release date, or scope have been provided yet. Further details are expected to follow in 2027.
According to Jagex, more than 300 million player accounts have been created since RuneScape’s original launch in 2001. With RS4, the studio now aims to build this remarkably long-lasting universe on a new technical foundation.
