An exceptionally talented MMO fan has been working on what might just be the ultimate mashup project, by recreating RuneScape bit by bit using World of Warcraft assets. Not only is it seriously impressive, but the creator plans to make it playable, and the alpha build is closer than you might expect.
World of RuneScape is the product of nine months of work by YouTube creator WoRS. They've been sharing updates on the project's progress over time, working based on feedback provided by fellow fans, and while there's still work to be done, it's gotten to the point where they think they're "probably about a month away from alpha, maybe two at the most." Their most recent video is over 40 minutes long and showcases everything they've created so far.
"Things are progressing very nicely! Excited to be able to play this with everyone and see how everyone likes it," they say in the latest video description.
As for the game server's actual launch, on the World of RuneScape Discord, the creator states: "There is no set date yet; however, the time frame is for this year!" It's not clear where it'll be hosted yet, but it's expected that "many" players will be able to log in simultaneously "as this runs off WoW's engine and it is more than capable of high loads."
On top of that, the project's creator has made it clear that they have "no intention of making this a pay-to-win game." In their latest video, they explain: "This is a huge passion project for me, I've loved both games my whole entire life. [...] Both games I feel like have [had] a dramatic impact on my life, and I really want to say that those games have touched many other lives as well."
They note that today, in many games, "everything you can think of is a pay-to-win," but they're "doing everything in my power to not make that happen" in their own project.
Old School RuneScape and World of Warcraft both feature in our ranking of the top 10 best MMORPGs.
