The CEO of RuneScape studio Jagex says his aim is to eventually make it the number one MMO, overtaking World of Warcraft.
In an interview with The Game Business, Jagex CEO Jon Bellamy was asked about the company’s claim that RuneScape is the second biggest MMO game behind Blizzard‘s title.
Bellamy replied that his aim was to continue building RuneScape – which turned 25 years old this year – until it eventually overtakes World or Warcraft and becomes recognised as the top MMO.
“The dream is that we’re not the number two biggest MMO brand in the world, we’re number one,” he said. “There’s a big old gap between us and number one, but if we get it right, we know we can make headway.
“It’s lofty and ambitious, but if you’re going to set lofty and ambitious goals, why not swing for the top? So, that’s the number one goal.”
One of the first steps Jagex made towards this goal was scrapping its Treasure Hunter microtransaction last year. The perk let players boost their XP and gold and made a lot of money for Jagex, but was unpopular among players.
Bellamy said the game’s revenue “is down quite a large chunk” as a result of this decision, but stressed that it was part of the plan and said member numbers had stabilized instead of dropping for the first time in four years.
“Less FOMO, less of the rubbish”
Bellamy also explained that changing monetisation isn’t enough, and the studio now has to deliver something that will make players come back.
“Setting the table for growth is not the same as expecting growth to come as a result of setting the table,” he said. “You need to put something on the table to bring people in. We’ve set the table, we’ve spent the last year not just removing that monetization layer, but overhauling so much of the clunkiness and the pain within the game.
“The guy who runs our RuneScape studio has been here for 13 years. He’s been a RuneScape player for 20. The person calling the shots on how to bring this thing back to life was a player in its golden age. He’s done a great job on getting the game into a healthy position. So less daily, less FOMO, less of the rubbish.”
Bellamy teased that the next stage of this plan will come in October, when Jagex will be announcing something that’s designed to make lapsed players return to RuneScape.
“I’ve been told very clearly not to give anything away, but on October 3 at RuneFest, we’ll be announcing our equivalent of putting a feast on the table, to really actively win people back, and that’ll be happening much sooner than many people expect,” he said.
