RuneScape developer Jagex has apparently gotten new glasses and suddenly realized that its MMO is infested with obtrusive microtransactions that are materially hurting the game, as new CEO Jon Bellamy admits, and it wants to fix that.
Charting "The Future of MTX" in a new video, Bellamy says "our MTX approach is harming RuneScape, and it's time that we took action." Committing to many more years ahead for the now 25-year-old MMO, Bellamy stresses "this isn't a fluffy thing to say" but rather a pledge that "the era of a tainted RuneScape 3 is coming to an end."
"When our work is done, we want every single player to feel the same ownership that we fostered so well in our approach to Old School," Bellamy adds, tipping his hat to the not MTX-free, but generally MTX-agnostic sister MMO Old School RuneScape. You can notably buy OSRS membership Bonds for real money and then sell them for in-game gold, but this also lets players pay their way with gold and the exchange rate is nothing wild, so this hasn't been a real problem for the game.
"If we want to go from where we are today, where, bluntly, our population isn't really growing, to decades of a booming community, then it's time we take some big swings, even when they aren't easy or simple," Bellamy says.
According to its 2024 microtransaction survey data, Jagex says 42% of current RuneScape players feel microtransactions hurt their experience, 86% of buyers are unhappy with the MTX casino that is Treasure Hunter, 60% of ex-players say MTX hurt their experience, and 63% of ex-players would be more likely to return if MTX problems, especially buyable levels, were addressed.
How do you undo years of microtransaction poisoning? In this video and an accompanying blog post, Jagex lays out a few initial measures to combat the MTX plague.
"This will be difficult, and it will take time," Jagex writes. "There's a lot involved in getting this right and doing it responsibly while making sure we sustain the game."
Beginning in July, and continuing for "the next three months," Jagex will trial "Experiments" targeting pain points with microtransactions. These Experiments will last a couple of weeks apiece, with Jagex collecting player feedback and data around each test.
First, Treasure Hunter, where players can spend daily or buyable keys on various rewards including rare items and skill experience, will be disabled entirely. Instead, Jagex will be "offering bundles of Stars and Knowledge Bombs for direct purchase (capped at one bundle per day)."
Next, microtransaction-based skilling items will be disabled, including Proteans, Dummies, and Lamps that dish out levels. This will overlap with the game's autumn double XP event, ensuring players actually have to play the game to earn XP.
Thirdly, "past cosmetic overrides" will be available "for direct purchase all at once," including some previously tied to the RNG wheel of Treasure Hunter.
Lastly, Jagex says it's looking at cosmetic-free worlds which would put everyone's fashion on an even playing field and tighten the game's visual identity. "While we don't have an exact launch window for this yet, we expect to release no later than August and run them until the end of our Experiment window," Jagex says.
Jagex very clearly isn't removing all of these microtransactions entirely – presumably, as the developer says, because "it's no secret that MTX in RuneScape currently represents a major part of how we fund the game" – but instead seemingly reducing their impact on game integrity by making them less invasive, random, or expensive.
"We will use this opportunity to approach MTX in a way that is healthier for the game," the studio says. For good measure, it adds: "We will not use this opportunity to be more aggressive in offering XP benefits outside the core game loop."
Associate design director Mod Ryan says the team "must address the unhealthy relationship of microtransactions within our game design."
The initial response from RuneScape 3 players, judging from the comments and ratings on YouTube and Reddit, is a pretty positive one. Of course, if you'd been walking through a desert for years subsisting only on the tears of rattlesnakes, I'd imagine you would perk up at the promise of a bottle of water.
Trust is gained in drops and lost in buckets, so the months ahead will likely determine if these microtransaction changes are enough to convince RuneScape players that the game is improving. But as a plan, this is certainly miles ahead of where RuneScape has been for years.
Responding to one player saying "I'll believe it when I see it" on Reddit, Jagex Mod Hooli says: "Thank you for this comment. It's totally warranted based on our past and it's not something overly negative. We've made that bed based on our history. We're happy to earn trust through action, not blindly expect it. I hope you are pleasantly surprised later this year. Looking forward to hearing from you then!"
And if you're concerned, Jagex says "everything you've heard about today has zero impact on our content development or Roadmaps. Absolutely zero. The team that currently works on microtransactions are the team working through this project and every Experiment. No developers or resources have been moved to this project from existing content and it will stay that way. The Roadmap is protected and remains our top priority, always."
