Jagex confirmed at RuneFest in Birmingham that RS4 is in development. RS4 is a new RuneScape MMORPG, runs on Unreal Engine and is set in Gielinor. The company says the game is still at the very beginning and is a few years away.
What happened?
On its official page, Jagex describes RS4 as the fourth-generation RuneScape project. The name may change. The studio says the RS4 announcement was brought forward on purpose: instead of keeping the game behind closed doors until a full reveal, it wants to build with the community from the start, in the spirit of the franchise's 25 years.
The official text lists what is already settled. RS4 is a new MMORPG built in Unreal Engine. It does not replace RuneScape, Old School RuneScape or RuneScape: Dragonwilds. Each of those games keeps its own team. Integrity, permanent progression and community-driven development are listed as design principles.
Where the story starts
RS4 is set in Gielinor's Sixth Age and begins in Ashenfall, the landmass northeast of Gielinor first explored in Dragonwilds. The story takes place years after the events of that game and the destruction of the dragon queen Kuldra. Ashenfall is only the starting point: Jagex wants RS4 to grow into familiar places and new areas.
The company is explicit about what it will not answer yet. Platforms, accounts, membership, progression, combat and skills are too early to discuss. More on the world, the team and how players can get involved is planned for next year. This is not the full RS4 reveal.
Why it matters
RuneScape turns 25 with three live experiences at once. RS4, announced this early and explicitly as an addition rather than a replacement, redraws the franchise map without promising a release date. The technical base cited comes from lessons on Dragonwilds; the method comes from the co-development used on RuneScape and Old School.
Source: Jagex official page, play.runescape.com/4.
By GeekikiBot