RuneScape Gets Pricier

[The Wooster]

RuneScape Gets Pricier

A subscription for decade-old MMO, RuneScape, will cost you an extra two bucks as of February 1st.

While many MMO's are going free-to-play, RuneScape, which was originally released back in 2001, is actually getting more expensive.

On February 1st, RuneScape's monthly memebershup price will go from $5.95 US dollars to $7.95. This change only effects new subscribers. Players who became a member before the price hike will still pay the lower rate, which won't increase unless that subscription is canceled. There will be a seven day grace period for those of you who forget to renew your subscriptions when they expire.

Though technically a decade old, RuneScape's engine was entirely rewritten for a re-release back in 2004.

According to the announcement from developer and publisher, Jagex, the extra revenue will be used to fund some "ambitious plans for 2012." That being said, despite an increase in total turnover, 2011 remains the only year in which Jagex's operating profits have decreased since 2007. Jagex has invested heavily in anti-bot technology in the past few years, and the recently-won court case against RuneScape bot makers IBot Software, [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/forums/read/7.339574-Runescape-Bot-Maker-Loses-Big-In-Lawsuit] cost the MMO developer a "seven-figure sum." A hefty figure, albeit one Ceo Daniel Cloguh seemed happy to pay.

So, in essence, if you're thinking about signing up for RuneScape now is the time to do it.

Source: RuneScape [http://services.runescape.com/m=news/g=runescape/new-members-pricing]


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[Something Amyss]

Wasn't Runescape originally free to play, or am I confused?

 

[ShaneGunWolf]

Wasn't Runescape originally free to play, or am I confused?

It's still free-to-play, but with a subscription, it'll basically unlock much more things to do in the world.

 

[Irridium]

Wasn't Runescape originally free to play, or am I confused?

It's still free-to-play, but with a subscription, it'll basically unlock much more things to do in the world.

Back when I played it it unlocked 3/4ths of the world. Free member servers were limited to a corner of the map. Did they change that?

 

[Versuvius]

I stopped playing this nearly 7 years ago :|

 

[Waaghpowa]

People still play this game?! My brother quit this when he was 13.

 

[gigastar]

Wasn't Runescape originally free to play, or am I confused?

It's still free-to-play, but with a subscription, it'll basically unlock much more things to do in the world.

Back when I played it it unlocked 3/4ths of the world. Free member servers were limited to a corner of the map. Did they change that?

To my closest estimate, having subscription in Runescape grants you about 15 times the content now. And theres more added at least twice a month.

Also i failed to come up with an analogy for just how far Runescape has come over the years. Hell, even that picture in the OP is outdated by some 5 years.

 

[ShaneGunWolf]

RuneScape was THE first MMORPG I've ever played. I was hardly eleven or twelve-years-old...

 

[laryri]

They should have upped it to $8.95.

 

[vrbtny]

I stopped playing this nearly 7 years ago :|

Me too... or it may be longer than that :/

Everyone I know stopped playing it as soon as they left primary school.

 

[Sewer Rat]

Wait wait wait.... People still play Runescape?

 

[uhohimdead]

Wait wait wait.... People still play Runescape?

i still play it from time to time, im not a hardcore player but i find grinding entertaining to an extent

 

[Noble_Lance]

I used to play years ago, I quit middway through college when my friends got busy my IRL friends. We collectively quit it, that was when it was $5.

Also you get 3/4s of the map for fun and access with the subscription, a lot of the content was fun. They had constant updates, definitely at least something new being added twice a month, sometimes once a week.

 

[Drenaje1]

Ambitious plans for 2012? What are you up to, Jagex? I DO wonder...

 

[Random Fella]

I used to play that game, only for free to play, not really a good enough game to pay for like other mmo's

 

[Jimmybobjr]

Heeeeeeey, IN B4 RUNESCAPE SUCKS

But no, i do seem to recall a price hike a few years back. I play runescape on and off every now and then, and i honestly would be happy to play the game for that price; The demolition of the bots in the game make it worth the higher price.

 

[Gennadios]

It's total turnover probably increased because less people were willing to trade their Guild Wars accounts in for RuneScape ones on account of the Guild Wars 2 info. I've never played RS, but it seemed like a massive account trading swinger's party between these two games in 2010.

 

[Odbarc]

I played this for like a two days. Bored and hell, quit and never looked back.

 

[Dagnius]

I hope these 'Ambitions Plans' include re-writing the game into a better engine, making the game less Clicky/Mousey, and/or at least make it more interesting... I used to play this game UNHEALTHILY too much during my middle-school years and Now that I look back, I don't see how I did it. I've tried playing a while back and I made a new character: A pure mage. But of course at the time the Wild had been removed so people were telling me I was stupid and that I should min/max all my skills and equipment to level up etc etc etc.... That is, WHEN I found someone to talk to. Everyone I came across was either sprinting from harvest nodes to the bank repeatedly and silently, standing silent in the bank, or were all(what I assumed to be) 13 year-old kids asking for GF's or girls' phone numbers. I found myself bored, in motivated. I could go mine some ore, make some armor and perhaps give it to newbies- Oh no I couldn't Trade Limits crushed my charity. Okay, so I could sell it on the Grand Exchange, Bam, Armor's sold, have a few coins in my bag, NOW what to do..? /rambling - I've heard a lot has been changed/reimplemented though.

I'll definitely have to check back in to see what Jagex does with the game, and Eight Bucks isn't that bad. If you have the will and patience for it, 8 bucks is WELL worth it for all of the content in that game. Back when I played the 5 dollar fee was robbery on my part, And up til now they've only been adding more and more.

 

[NLS]

While many MMO's are going free-to-play, RuneScape, which was originally released back in 2001, is actually getting more expensive.

Just to add a little something: Runescape has been Free to Play since the very beginning in 2001, and didn't implement an optional Pay 2 Play model until 2002. Even though the focus on new content has shifted heavily over to the subscription service, the free version is still an enjoyable game in itself. And this was all before "modern" subscription based MMOs started going Free to Play with certain restrictions.

And one final thing: 1st sentence in 2nd paragraph should perhaps contain "monthly membership" instead of "monthly memebershup"