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<\/figure>\n\n\n\nSailing was added to Old School RuneScape in 2025. Jagex<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n The skill allows players to captain custom ships, explore vast oceans and discover new islands. Sailing itself highlights the fascinating dichotomy of making substantial additions to a game whose tradition and timelessness were such a selling point.<\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s much to be said about nostalgia as a player motivation; including players long absent from RuneScape returning to it, and those travelling back via Old School RuneScape. Research on World of Warcraft and World of Warcraft Classic suggests that nostalgia may be tied less to game mechanics than to social presence \u2013 the experience of a densely populated world. Returning players may find that this social dimension no longer exists in the same form.<\/p>\n\n\n\n RuneScape \u2013 balanced more toward modernisation than Old School RuneScape\u2019s respect for long-standing players \u2013 is experiencing a revival of its own. Nostalgia may be a factor, but a more immediate explanation for December\u2019s player spike lies in one of the game\u2019s enduring development tensions: how far Jagex can modernise and monetise the game without alienating its most loyal players.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In 2012, RuneScape added options for microtransactions \u2013 additional payments on top of or alongside subscriptions. These included a conventional store and a game of chance for cosmetic upgrades or gameplay-affecting items.<\/p>\n\n\n\n An additional revenue stream is important to a publisher; a subscription limits how much can be earned from players with greater spending power and generates nothing from those who cannot afford it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Resistance to microtransactions is well documented in western markets, particularly when players perceive them as double charging or as granting unfair competitive advantages. Publishers often continue despite negative reactions, as seen in the controversy around the Blizzard game Diablo Immortal in 2022.<\/p>\n\n\n\n This secondary monetisation was often heavily adjusted, even while I worked on the original implementation and oversaw that group in 2013-14. Since 2014, RuneScape also had a polls system and a remarkably powerful programme of letting player choice influence development.<\/p>\n\n\n\n October 2025 introduced a poll for players to approve a considerable rework to reduce and stabilise the impact of microtransactions on player progression. It passed the required 100,000 votes on the first day. The vote wasn\u2019t left to chance, though. For Jagex, under new CEO Jon Bellamy, it\u2019s part of a strategy to \u201crestore\u201d RuneScape \u201ceven if it hurts the bottom line\u201d. The result of the vote was predictable but valuable in proving this viewpoint isn\u2019t just a vocal minority.<\/p>\n\n\n\n The surge suggests it\u2019s working so far. Whether these players remain active and subscribed remains to be seen: some may be returning from 2012, and their nostalgia for RuneScape as it was may not fit the current game. Others might have been long-term players had it not been for the monetisation. It may attract new players, familiar with the game but deterred by the billing model.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Also unpredictable is whether additional subscriptions will restore the lost revenue. Some of the key monetisation features remain \u2013 including Bonds, which allow cash-rich players to buy game-time that can be sold for in-game currency to time-rich players \u2013 so Jagex\u2019s financial flexibility remains better than subscriptions alone. The move is \u201csomething most games wouldn\u2019t dare\u201d according to gaming news platform Polygon, and should be very popular with players. But will that goodwill translate into enough shifted revenue?<\/p>\n\n\n\n I\u2019m pleased with the outcome and I suspect others who\u2019ve worked on RuneScape monetisation would share that. That balance between happy players and the bottom line \u2013 which can easily fail in either direction \u2013 was always difficult to maintain. While contributing to studio health is satisfying, I hope there are several developers soon being freed up to work on other content.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Matthew Holland<\/a>, Senior lecturer in game design and development, Anglia Ruskin University<\/a><\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n This article is republished from The Conversation<\/a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the original article<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" RuneScape experienced a surge of popularity over the 2025 holiday season. 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\n\n\n\nThe influence of monetisation<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
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