The renowned (and old) MMO RuneScape has now been around long enough to both introduce microtransactions and rip them right back out of the game.
Earlier this month, RuneScape's developer Jagex put the fate of its game in the hands of its community, erecting a poll and inviting players to vote to remove Treasure Hunter, the game's conduit for microtransactions. In a win for the staunchly anti-microtransaction crowd, the Treasure Hunter poll – which pulled in more than 120,000 votes when only 100,000 were needed – has passed the measure.
The move to make this "integrity" change a community-wide vote echoes an earlier initiative from Jagex, which similarly polled RuneScape players when it first toyed with the idea of reviving Old School RuneScape more than a decade ago. These days, Old School RuneScape's major updates are still mostly dictated by these votes.
In theory, the Treasure Hunter activity gives away keys on a daily basis, allowing players to net free rewards like XP boosts and gameplay-skipping items. In practice though, it has turned RuneScape into a pay-to-win game by inviting many to open their wallets and pay for even more keys beyond the initial free allotment, a move that Jagex has admitted has harmed the MMO and its community.
With Treasure Hunter's impending removal though, Jagex's CEO Jon Bellamy has declared, "January 19th is the start of a new era for RuneScape, powered by a shared desire to see this game grow for decades to come." On the exact same date, a special RuneScape Ahead presentation will be hosted on the game's YouTube channel which will provide "era-defining" insights into the MMO's future through 2026.
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