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As reported by MMORPG.com, developer Jagex has announced a new MMO follow-up to RuneScape with the working title “RuneScape 4.” The announcement came as part of Jagex’s yearly RuneFest convention being held this weekend.
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The announcement was accompanied by a brief teaser trailer showcasing the game’s art style, which builds on the recently-released Dragonwilds survival game: It’s like a hybrid of the latest Jagex MMO, Runescape 3, and the ascendant Old School RuneScape based on the series’ 2000s heyday.
In the trailer, we see a real Dragon Quest-looking medieval town in a verdant valley under floating islands. An adventurer riding a dragon comes under attack by a three-headed dragon while a wizard watches from below. The trailer ends with the wizard welcoming a new adventurer to the city.
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MMORPG.com has more details: RuneScape 4 apparently emerged out of a planned expansion for Dragonwilds. A Jagex developer said that playtesters kept asking for a more traditional, MMO take on the survival game’s setting and aesthetic. Other than that, we know RuneScape 4 is being built on Unreal Engine (unclear if we’re talking version 5 or the upcoming 6), and that the MMO’s original, Dragonwilds expansion version was targeting release in 2027. Scaling up to being a full, new game has almost assuredly pushed that back.
If you’re wondering where the “4” comes from, here’s how Jagex maps RuneScape’s numbered releases:
- Runescape, 2001: The Reason for the Season.
- Runescape 2, 2004: Introduced full 3D rendering. Old School is based on RS2 circa 2007.
- Runescape 3, 2013: Overhauled the art and systems, the current main fork of the game.
While Old School simply will continue—the retro version of the MMO is by far Jagex’s most successful game—I wonder if the studio will preserve RuneScape 3 in any way with the version shift, or if RuneScape 4 will seamlessly continue character progression (like 3 did for 2). Stay tuned for more coverage from this year’s RuneFest from PCG features producer Mollie Taylor, who is on the ground at the event.
