I first began playing RuneScape in 2006. For many who have played the game over the years, this was when it was at its peak. Jagex, RuneScape’s parent company, was still very much in the hands of the Gower brothers – including Andrew Gower, who recently released the game Brighter Shores on STEAM because of how much he missed owning and working on RuneScape. RuneScape in 2006 was mostly free of any widespread controversy, at least any controversy that made the players lose faith in the company as a whole. Yes, there had been dupes and other major glitches such as the infamous “Falador Massacre,” but Jagex was usually quick to respond and was transparent about the issues.
This golden period would not last forever, though. Through the years, RuneScape would “die” several times and each time a large chunk of the player base would go with it. Jagex would spent years regaining good faith, and then like a toxic partner they’d lay it all slowly back on us until we were being crushed by the weight of it all yet again. By the end of 2007, Jagex had removed the ability to combat players directly for their items in “the wilderness” or even to trade them freely without limits. This was the first time RuneScape “died,” with in game protests organized with players all miming the phrase “we pay we say, we pay 2 pk!” (with “pk” meaning “player kill”). While Jagex would try to appease these players with things like other player killing minigames, they would eventually cave and bring back free trade and the wilderness in 2011 with a player vote where 91% of people said they wanted these things back.
While a brief new “golden era” existed in 2011, that would change the following year with the introduction of MTX to RuneScape. MTX, or microtransactions, are ways to spend real money to gain in game benefits. The RuneScape playerbase was against this practice, but Jagex executives pushed it anyway. This would be the second time RuneScape died, with players refusing to let their hard work be overshadowed by people simply purchasing in game levels or currency with real money. It made the game “pay to win” instead of “play to win.”
Need a helping hand with summoning? Check out our Spirit Gems on the Squeal of Fortune! http://t.co/vsaDM6Blso pic.twitter.com/9pEAkwnJ2n
— RuneScape (@RuneScape) December 6, 2013
With the players already upset, Jagex pushed the nail further into the coffin and changed the entire way RuneScape managed combat. The traditional system that made RuneScape unique was instead replaced with a more complex system that was more similar to other popular MMOs. While people who stuck with the game to this day argue this was a healthy change that allowed the game to grow further and create new unique and exciting interactions, it was undeniably an unpopular change that alienated those who wanted the simple system. Jagex did eventually add a “legacy” system to RuneScape, which allowed use of the old combat. While some are satisfied by this, others criticize the amount of use one can actually get from fighting with that system against the modern bosses of RuneScape.
It was around this point that Jagex thought RuneScape changed enough to call it “RuneScape 3.” See, the RuneScape we’ve talked about to this point was called “RuneScape 2” because it received a heavy upgrade starting back in 2003 that overhauled the old system. RuneScape 1, or RuneScape Classic, also had a bit of a different system for most things. At that time, Jagex let players decide whether to keep their account on the old RuneScape with no further major updates or to migrate to the new RuneScape, keeping their stats and items with them. No such split or change was initially offered with RuneScape 3.
However, in early 2013 Jagex decided to mimic their wilderness returning poll and ask players if they wanted to play RuneScape 2 again. 2007scape, or Oldschool RuneScape as it would come to be called, would be created by popular demand and would for years follow a strict system of only allowing updates to happen if 75% of the active playerbase voted yes. While this system was meant to stop the game from ever killing itself again, many argued that it was impossible to get 75% of players to agree on necessary updates and the game would just stagnate and die this way. Over time, the Oldschool team would gain members and tools that would let them transform the game into something entirely different from RuneScape 2, even. The “bones” are there, but this game is not the 2007 version of the game that it was based on anymore. Now, only 70% of yes votes are needed for a poll to pass and Jagex can pass or deny any poll they want, regardless of numbers, based on the integrity of the game (known as an ‘integrity change’). Also, on RuneScape 3’s side, their MTX changed to appear less random (going from a Wheel Of Fortune style wheel called “Squeal of Fortune” to a lootbox system called “Treasure Hunter”).
Thank you to everyone that voted yes back in February 2013, we owe it all to you 👍🏽 pic.twitter.com/09FwtH7lqP
— Old School RuneScape (@OldSchoolRS) July 29, 2017
With all of that history behind them, Jagex has promised they would never make the same mistakes with Oldschool RuneScape that they did with RuneScape 3. They promised to constantly listen to player feedback, and to never monetize the game with MTX like they did RS3. Despite all of these promises, it’s looking clear that they intend to kill RuneScape once again.
It’s been fun boys. We’ve been talking about slippery slopes for a long time but I don’t even know what to call this one.
— Faux (@Faux_Freedom) January 16, 2025
This will be the end of OSRS pic.twitter.com/UrRCmtTj9p
That’s right. They’re sending out surveys exploring these new “membership tiers” where in all cases people pay more to have less than they have now. Jagex is exploring adding ads to our paid memberships, charging more per character, and even charging for quality support.
They quickly backed off and said these suggestions were merely a starting point for discussion. But if they’re gonna be this toxic out the gate, I don’t want to know where they intend to land. This is a classic door in the face strategy, a tactic in psychology to condition us to accepting something bad (like ads on our paid game) because it’s better than what they initially proposed (ads + costing more + paying more per character + paying for support). People are recognizing this and canceling their membership in waves regardless of Jagex’s attempts to backtrack.

So what happens next? Most likely Jagex will land on something like login screen ads or cosmetic MTX. Some fear they’ll force players to migrate completely to Jagex accounts once and for all, and that we’ll eventually have to pay for features that the community offers for free on a separate game client. But the players are listening cautiously, and everyone is ready to vote with their wallets once again. Unlike other communities that have become accustomed to practices like these (looking at you gacha games and ultimate teams), the Oldschool RuneScape community will not tolerate such tomfoolery.
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