Jagex

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Jagex Limited
Founded								28 April 2000
Founder(s)								Andrew Gower, Paul Gower, Constant Tedder, and Ian Gower
Key people								Jon Bellamy (CEO)
Headquarters								Cambridge, England, United Kingdom
Industry								Premade interactive leisure and entertainment software development
No. of employees								495
Type								Private limited
Website								jagex.com

Jagex Limited (pronounced /dʒæ.ɡɛks/) is a British video game developer and publisher headquartered in Cambridge, United Kingdom, best known for its key RuneScape titles, the MMORPG RuneScape. In December 2001, brothers Andrew Gower and Paul Gower with Constant Tedder founded the company, which specialised in browser-based online games and has grown into one of the largest game studios in the UK. As of 2024, the company employed approximately 700 people.

Jagex ranked 59th on the Sunday Times' 100 Best Companies in the UK to Work For list in 2007. In 2008, they were ranked 87th.

The studio has undergone several changes of ownership, including accepting investment from Insight Venture Partners and Spectrum Equity Investors in the 2010s, being sold to Chinese investors in the 2016, acquired by Macarthur Fortune Holding and The Carlyle Group in 2020 and 2021 respectively, and transferred to CVC Capital Partners and Haveli Investments in 2024. In March 2025, Jagex appointed Mod North as CEO, succeeding Mod Pips, and refocused on development centred around RuneScape, community-driven updates, and experiments to improve microtransactions based on player feedback.

History

Founding and early development

Members of Jagex staff after a paintball game in April 2003.

The name Jagex Software has been in use since at least 1999 and was originally described as a "small software company based in England [who] specialise in producing top-quality Java-games for webpages". Andrew Gower tweeted on the RuneFest Twitter that the original Jagex office was "two meters by three meters with a table and PC we had borrowed". The name Jagex originally stood for "Java Audio Graphics Extension". It was retrofitted to stand for "Java Gaming Experts" when Jagex was registered as a company in June 2000. The company name was then rebranded as an abbreviation of "Just About the Gaming Experience".

The company emerged from the Andrew Gower's earlier work on game prototypes, with the goal of creating a video game the combined all his favourite genres. From 1998 to 1999, Andrew Gower worked on a small project at his parent's home, developing a multi-user dungeons (MUDs) game called DeviousMUD, which was the predecessor to RuneScape but was never released to the public. To form Jagex, Andrew Gower bought a shelf company named Meaujo (492) Limited, and they changed its name to Jagex Limited on 27 June 2000. Jagex was made to operate its then in-development MMORPG RuneScape, which they had been working on since 2000. The cornerstone of Jagex's early success was RuneScape, released on 4 January 2001. Only a year after the game's release, it already had over one million free accounts registered.

In December 2001, Andrew Gower, Paul Gower, and Constant Tedder got together and founded Jagex as a commercial operation to take over the running of RuneScape, underlying technologies and other games developed by Andrew. The three co-founders tackled two pressing tasks: first, to make RuneScape commercially viable and establish long-term advertising sales relationships; and second, to develop premium versions of the game for membership subscribers. The company began exploring monetisation of the game in the form a monthly fee, and the development of partnerships with advertisers, eventually introducing a monthly subscription for premium "members-only" content on 27 February 2002 while keeping the core game free. There was 5,000 subscriptions in the first week of doing so, making RuneScape one of the largest browser-based free-to-play games in the world.

On 29 March 2004, RuneScape 2 was officially released, a completely new version of the game with better graphics and technology, revamped combat system and user interface. This iteration, based on a brand-new 3D game engine, solidified RuneScape's position as a leading browser-based MMORPG. The company's early funding came from subscription revenue, which enabled the team to expand steadily and provided the company with office space; by the end of 2003, the company had grown to a team specialising in content updates, server management, and customer support.

Business expansion and game development

In October 2005, Jagex took an investment from the American venture capital firm Insight Venture Partners. This additional funding allowed the studio to continue expanding its operations, hiring more staff and improving its infrastructure to support its game projects, while maintaining its independence as the Gower brothers retained a stake and were able to control company decisions. On 4 May 2007, Jagex announced that RuneScape had reached over 9 million free players and 1 million subscribers. In Sunday Times' Rich List in 2007, Andrew and Paul Gower were said to be worth £32 million.

Over the years, bot programs and gold farming have become increasingly rampant, and players have been calling on the game community to completely address these issues, although this is not a problem unique to Jagex. Jagex also proposed some ingenious solutions to combat these bot programs. At the same time, credit card fraud transactions increased dramatically. Ultimately, Jagex made fundamental changes in late 2007 and 2008, removing the free trade feature from RuneScape and removing the free-for-all PvP mechanic from the Wilderness area, while introducing the Grand Exchange, Bounty Hunter, and Clan Wars as alternatives. Because of these changes, players became dissatisfied and started making noise, and the controversy turned into the Pay to PK Riot.

Since 2007, RuneScape's player and membership numbers has stopped growing. At that time, the entire gaming industry was severely impacted by the economic recession. Between 2007 and 2011, Jagex experimented with various strategies to attract new players and retain existing ones. These included improving the tutorial, adding new skills to keep the game engaging, creating and designing dungeons featuring several bosses, introducing new clan features to enhance the game's social aspects, improving graphics, and creating fully voiced quests.

The Jagex APC in front of the Cambridge Jagex office

In December 2011, Jagex finished preparation of a full move to a consolidated HQ in Cambridge Science Park. The building was more than double the size of their old office. In 2011, Jagex established a subsidiary in based in the United States and opened a small studio in California, with former Rockstar Games developers staffing it, to support experimental projects beyond the core RuneScape franchise. At the same time, Jagex entered the game publishing field, launching the a voxel-based multiplayer shooter Ace of Spades and the Flash-based online strategy game War of Legends. This move marked a shift in the company's game development direction, enabling it to develop a variety of game genres while focusing on the core RuneScape experience. By the end of 2013, Jagex had over 500 staff members across multiple departments.

Realising that it was drifting further and further away from the player community, Jagex began posting videos on YouTube and hosting more Q&A sessions. On 28 August 2010, the studio held the fan convention RuneFest, at Vinopolis in London, with free admission. Jagex has always insisted on organising events in-house, rather than outsourcing them entirely to third parties, to ensure that players have a complete engagement experience. Jagex's first attempt received extremely high praise from the player community. To this day, Jagex continues to strive to maintain the original spirit of RuneFest. Game community management has expanded from simple customer support to community engagement in gameplay. Jagex regularly invites players to provide feedback, and existing players also offer suggestions on upcoming content.

Milestones in game development

From 2008 until the 2010s, Jagex continued to operate its browser-based gaming portal FunOrb, which offered casual games such as Zombie Dawn and Armies of Gielinor; however, facing the challenges brought by technological advancements, Jagex stopped accepting new subscriptions in May 2018 and completely shut down the service on 7 August 2018.

As the company grew, Jagex needed to increase revenue to cover daily operating and production costs. Therefore, in 2012, the company tried various strategies to cope with rising development costs and introduced various forms of microtransactions into the game. Released on 22 February 2013, Old School RuneScape marked a major split in the flagship title, introducing a retro game based on a backup of the RuneScape source code from August 2007. On 30 April 2015, Jagex published Block N Load, a team-based first-person shooter, voxel-based, sandbox-style video game developed by Jagex and Artplant. On 26 May 2016, Jagex further expanded its business by launching Chronicle: RuneScape Legends, a turn-based strategy card game set in the world of RuneScape, available on PC and mobile platforms.

By the 2010s, mobile games had taken on an increasingly important role in the gaming industry. This prompted Jagex to attempt to rewrite RuneScape, releasing a streamlined or derivative version that could run on tablets and phones, but they ultimately abandoned the project. To enable mobile gameplay, Jagex announced mobile versions of RuneScape and Old School RuneScape in July 2017. Old School RuneScape Mobile was released on iOS and Android on 30 October 2018, followed by RuneScape Mobile on 17 June 2021, achieving a seamless cross-platform gaming experience.

On 2 April 2019, Jagex's Neil McClarty (VP, Growth and Product Services) and Kelvin Plomer (Director of Player Experience) appeared before the UK Parliament's Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee to give evidence in an inquiry into "Immersive and addictive technologies".

In the early 2020s, Jagex continued to expand its publishing division, releasing the sci-fi shooter Space Punks in partnership with Flying Wild Hog on 8 July 2021; and the sci-fi co-op game This Means Warp, a sci-fi co-op game that blends roguelike spaceship management elements, in partnership with Outlier Games on 3 February 2022; the idle game Melvor Idle, inspired by RuneScape, in partnership with Games by Malcs on 18 November 2022. In 2022, Jagex acquired Pipeworks Studios to enhance its overall development capabilities; it also acquired Gamepires to leverage its publishing expertise to accelerate the development of SCUM; both supporting its expansion into multi-series publishing. These two acquisitions were significant because they helped Jagex increase its capabilities in developing live-service and multiplayer titles, aligning with its strategy of growing beyond RuneScape. On 23 January 2025, Virtuos announced the acquisition of Pipeworks Studios and two other companies.

In late 2025, Jagex launched an early access version of RuneScape: Dragonwilds on Steam.

Changes in ownership

Main article: Jagex/Ownership

In December 2010, Jagex co-founders Andrew and Paul Gower sold their controlling stake in the company to a venture capital and private equity firm Insight Venture Partners, which had initially invested in 2005 and increased its ownership to a majority 55.46% through an additional £75 million investment. At the same time, The Raine Group and Spectrum Equity Investors both invested in the company. This shift saw Jagex provide substantial funding to support the continued development and expansion of its online gaming portfolio, including improvements to RuneScape. Andrew Gower, Paul Gower, and Constant Tedder left the board of directors at that time, as representatives from Raine and Spectrum joined. In September 2011, The Raine Group increased their investment again.

In June 2016, Jagex was acquired by the Chinese company Hongda Mining through a Special Purpose Company, Hongtou Network, for USD$324.6 million through a buyout of all parties invested in Jagex. In December 2016, Jagex was acquired by the Chinese company Zhongji Holding through Hongtou Network. The actual controllers of Hongda Mining and Zhongji Holding were the Chinese investor Jinggang Yan and his wife. This acquisition integrated Jagex into the broader Chinese gaming ecosystem, with Fukong Interactive aiming to leverage the studio's expertise and intellectual property in the RuneScape franchises to drive the growth of its products in the Chinese domestic market.

Due to financial pressures faced by its Chinese parent company, Fukong Interactive, Jagex was acquired by Macarthur Fortune Holding, a global asset management company, through one of its funds, Platinum Fortune LP, for USD$530 million on 28 April 2020. This allowed the studio to prioritise the development of its existing projects and the RuneScape franchises.

On 25 January 2021, Jagex announced that it was being acquired by private investment firm The Carlyle Group. This was a strategic investment aimed at driving the development of new titles while continuing to support updates to the RuneScape franchises. Among these years, Jagex enabled significant enhancements to its core franchises, including mobile optimisations and community-driven content initiatives.

In February 2024, private markets manager CVC Capital Partners and technology sector-focused private equity firm Haveli Investments partnered to acquire Jagex. This transaction highlighted the studio's potential and refocuses resources on the company's established RuneScape franchise, while exploring opportunities for sustainable growth and emphasising engagement with core and new players.

Headquarters and operation

Jagex's primary headquarters is located at 220 Cambridge Science Park in Cambridge, England. The facility serves as the central hub for the company's operations, housing teams focused on game development, publishing, and support functions. Jagex's Cambridge headquarters features specialised facilities, including creative spaces equipped for game design, quest development, and content creation, supporting the ongoing evolution of titles like RuneScape. The company also operates dedicated server infrastructure worldwide to support RuneScape's multiplayer needs, with servers distributed across locations in the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, the Netherlands, Sweden, Denmark, Finland, and New Zealand, Mexico, and the United States for optimal performance and low latency. In addition to English, RuneScape and its website are available in the following languages: German, French, and Portuguese.

Jagex values ​​diversity and inclusion in its workforce to reflect its global player base. To this end, Jagex has taken several initiatives, such as being a founding partner of the Ukie #RaiseTheGame diversity pledge in 2020, which aims to promote fair hiring, inclusive workplaces, and equality across industry standards. Since 2020, the company has been publishing a gender pay gap report annually, highlighting its commitment to diversity and its ongoing efforts to educate employees and create an inclusive and friendly work environment. After the pandemic, Jagex implemented a hybrid work model, combining the flexibility of remote work with elements of face-to-face collaboration to support the actual working methods of the game teams.

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  The Quality Assurance department in the Jagex headquarters office in 2012
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  The interior of Jagex studio
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  The interior of Jagex studio

Games

Active

Runescape

Main article: RuneScape

RuneScape is a MMORPG released in January 2001, developed and published by Jagex.

The game was initially developed by Andrew and Paul Gower since 1999. It was originally a browser-based game implemented on the client-side in Java, and incorporates 3D rendering.

In 2004, the game engine RuneTek was rewritten and released as RuneScape 2. In July 2013, Jagex invested heavily in graphics and gameplay, featuring higher visual and audio fidelity, improved camera mechanics, and a more customisable interface system to iterate the game engine, ultimately releasing RuneScape 3. The browser-base client was replaced by a standalone C++ game client in 2016, and the game is no longer playable in a browser.

In 17 July 2017, it was announced that mobile client for RuneScape would be released for Android and iOS devices in 2018. RuneScape was released on Steam on 14 October 2020.

Old School RuneScape

Main article: Old School RuneScape

Old School RuneScape, a separate, older version of the game dating from August 2007, was released in February 2013.

This version of the game was announced in a news post on 13 February 2013. A poll was conducted between 15 February and 1 March 2013, to determine the community's interest in releasing the game and thus the level of support. On 22 February 2013, as part of an early access scheme, Jagex opened over 50 Old School RuneScape servers and gave a month of free Old School RuneScape membership credit to all of those who had voted in the poll.

On 17 July 2017, Jagex announced the development of a mobile version of Old School RuneScape.

Runescape: Dragonwilds

Main article: RuneScape - Dragonwilds

RuneScape: Dragonwilds is an open-world, cooperative survival crafting game developed by Jagex since 2022, using Unreal Engine 5. The game is designed for 1-4 players to play cooperatively. The game set in the RuneScape universe on the forgotten continent of Ashenfall.

The game was officially announced on 31 March 2025, although players were invited to apply for closed testing in 2024. The game is available in early access on 15 April 2025, and continued to be iterated and updated in 2026.

Defunct

Featured on Games Domain

In 1998, Andrew Gower started working for Games Domain. Andrew traded under the name Jagex. A few months after he started trading as Jagex he set up the Jagex site. The Jagex site had links to Andrews' games for Games Domain.

The following were games previously featured on Games Domain:

• Battle Cruisers
• Cyber Wars
• Dungeon: It was the same content as Dungeon Explorer', just with a different name.
• Flea Circus: It was divided into three sections.
  • Flea Circus - Easy
  • Flea Circus - Medium
  • Flea Circus - Difficult
• Fuel Critical: It was divided into three sections.
  • Fuel Critical - Mars
  • Fuel Critical - Moon
  • Fuel Critical - Earth
• Games Domain Castle
• Gold Mine
• Mahjong
• Motor Trial
• Outpost: It was divided into two sections. Its content is almost identical to that of "Outpost 31", but the name is different.
  • Outpost - The Caverns
  • Outpost - The Outpost
• Quad-Link
• Mystery Monster
• Pairs
• Reversi: It was remade to Runeversi in the Burthorpe Games Room.
• Treasure Crypt
• Vertigo: There were two version of the game available on the site.

Featured on Jagex website

The following were games previously featured on Jagex website:

• Ataxtix: It was one of only two games that required a Jagex account, the other being RuneScape Classic.
• Backgammon
• Battlethingz
• Checkers: It was remade to "Draughts" in the Burthorpe Games Room.
• Chess
• Dungeon Explorer
• Flea Circus: It was replaced by the second version released on FunOrb.
• Fuel Critical: It was divided into three sections.
  • Fuel Critical - Stage 1
  • Fuel Critical - Stage 2
  • Fuel Critical - Stage 3
• Go-Mad
• Gold Mine
• Meltdown: Dr. Phlogiston Saves the Earth is a possible remake of this game.
• Meteoroids
• Monkey Puzzle
• Motor Trial
• Outpost 31
• Parallax Painter
• Round the Pole
• Safaria
• SlimeWar: It was remade on FunOrb, originally named Ataxtix and later renamed ViroGrid.
• Speed Trial
• Tetralink: It was a remade of Quad-Link on Games Domain. It was remade to Runelink in the Burthorpe Games Room. It could be found on FunOrb as a newer version.
• Treasure Crypt
• Vertigo: This was the third version, the fourth Vertigo 2 was released on FunOrb.
• Warships: It was a remake of Battle Cruisers on Games Domain.
• Zombie Dawn and Zombie Dawn Multiplayer: Fight of the Living Dead

FunOrb

FunOrb logo

FunOrb logo.

In February 2008, Jagex announced that they would be releasing a casual browser-based gaming site called FunOrb within the month. FunOrb was released on 27 February 2008. It used the same account information as RuneScape, but required a separate membership.

The site hosted small games varying in amount of possible playtime from an hour to two days. Some of the website and games were completely free-to-play, although members received many other benefits, such as many Achievements, fullscreen mode for all games, and access to more features in nearly all games. Jagex offered a discount for those who were paying members of both RuneScape and FunOrb.

It was originally released with 18 games, which grew to 44 over time. The website stopped receiving regular updates in September 2010. Maintenance continued into 2012.

The most popular game on the site was Arcanists. Jagex has used almost exclusively the popularity of RuneScape to gain patrons for this site, with almost all FunOrb players being either current or former RuneScape players due to very little advertising.

In January 2009, Jagex released a multiplayer game called Armies of Gielinor. This is the game that is set in the RuneScape universe they promised to release. Players could summon beasts such as Black Knights, greater demons, aviansie, and other monsters from the RuneScape universe. It was once one of the most popular games on FunOrb.

On 23 January 2013, Mark Gerhard confirmed that he has plans for a full reboot and update of FunOrb in the long term. It will include a rework of the website, updates to current games, addition of new games, and creation of even more mobile games than before. Gerhard stated that the earliest they could do this would be in 2014, as 2013 is the year that they're focusing on RuneScape 3 and Transformers Universe.

The final game to be released on FunOrb was Confined, on 2 December 2014. Ben D began development on Confined and three other titles in 2004, the other three of which were released on FunOrb in 2008. After moving onto other projects, he managed to get it finished in his spare time and published in 2014, on the condition that he was to update the Java certificates for FunOrb's other titles. This is the only FunOrb game to not receive German, French, and Brazilian Portuguese translations.

It was announced on 8 May 2018 that FunOrb would be shutting down on 7 August, with the ability to buy membership disabled. Account creation disabled on 14 May. 1-month memberships were given out to those who asked before the shutdown.

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  Zombie Dawn logo
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  Armies of Gielinor logo
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  Arcanists logo

MechScape and Stellar Dawn

The first official concept art For MechScape.

Rumoured during parts of 2007 and throughout 2008, MechScape was Jagex's brand-new browser-based MMORPG. In 2008, Jagex reveals that this was a brand new sci-fi themed game, a sci-fi spiritual successor to RuneScape, and was planned for release in the first quarter of 2009. Jagex also stated that the game was several steps ahead of RuneScape High Detail in terms of technology and would be aimed at an more mature player base than RuneScape. However, the MechScape project was dropped.

“	Sadly the game was not as complete as we wanted and we spent the first few months trying to “fix” the game where we could. About a month or so ago we took the decision to stop trying to “fix it” as we still wouldn’t have the game we wanted and the game certainly did not meet all the objectives and specifications established in the original game design document and therefore it would be better to go back to the founding principles and build the game we always wanted –Andrew is now overseeing the project and working very closely with the team to build Stellar Dawn, not all was lost as we naturally have developed the game engine substantially over the last few years and the new designs benefits massively from this as well as a ton of experience within the team as to what works and what doesn’t. So whilst the content and a lot of the game play will change from what was previously built almost everything else will go straight back into Stellar Dawn.	”
— Mark Gerhard, 25 October 2009

Stellar Dawn logo on white background

Building on the MechScape game engine, Jagex planned to release a new MMO, confirmed to be Stellar Dawn, in 2010. The developers put a lot of effort into the economy integrity for the game.

Previously, if one attempted to go to Stellardawn.com, they would be redirected to FunOrb.com. On 14 July 2010, the Stellar Dawn website was put up. On the website, users could sign up to be part of a closed beta.

However, on 2 March 2012, the Stellar Dawn project was paused from further development to prioritise Transformers Universe and ongoing RuneScape updates.

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'2010' MMO

In May 2008, CEO Geoff Iddison announced they were working on a third MMO only nicknamed their "2010 game". Mod MMG announced it had been cancelled in May 2009, repurposing the content as a skill in RuneScape, aluding to Dungeoneering. This was however later debunked by Mod Mark who explained the statement as "exec speak".

8Realms

8Realms was an HTML-based empire-building massively multiplayer online strategy game developed by Jagex. It was the company's first internally developed MMORTS, and second published MMORTS after War of Legends.

The 8Realms closed beta was released on 5 May 2011; players were given advanced access to the closed beta by invitation and through the game's Facebook page. On 28 May 2012, Jagex announced they were closing the game, stating that "it has become clear that the game doesn't meet our high expectations for success.". Jagex shut down 8Realms 1 July 2012.

Ace of Spades

Ace of Spades was a sandbox-style first-person shooter originally developed by Ben Aksoy. It was released as a prototype in April 2011. The original developers sold the game to Jagex in 2012, which took over the remainder of the development and fully released in December 2012. Its goal was to go against the cliches of most first-person shooters and create a unique experience. It was available to buy on steam but was shut down in 2019. Jagex released Block N Load as a successor to Ace of Spades in 2015.

Transformers Universe

In 14 March 2011, Hasbro announced that Jagex and Hasbro planned to created a browser-based free-to-play MMO based on Transformers brand, called Transformers Universe. The game was later changed to a free-to-play browser-based massively online tactical action game.

In 2011, Jagex opened a new studio focused on the game. The game was in development from early 2011 and was unveiled at Botcon 2011. The game was originally planned for release in 2012 in North America, Latin America, Europe, New Zealand and Australia.

In early 2012, Jagex decided to indefinitely paused development of Stellar Dawn to focus on Transformers Universe. The game was planned to undergo open beta testing first, and then be officially released in 2013. In October 2012, the closed beta testing was opened for registration. The 2012 closed beta version used an upgraded version of RuneTek 6 as its game engine, which was an upgrade of the engine used by RuneScape at the time.

In 2013, Jagex decided to invest further in the game and extend the launch date into 2014.

In February 2014, then-CEO Mark Gerhard stated that it would release the game in the summer of 2014. The game started closed beta in March 2014 and entered open beta on 4 July 2014. The 2014 beta version used Unity as its game engine. On 16 December 2014, the official announcement stated that the game would be shut down in stages with refunds, and was finally shut down completely on 31 January 2015, even before the game had finished its beta testing phase.

The game received much more mainstream coverage than any of Jagex's previous games, as it was part of a major entertainment franchise. The cost incurred by the closing of Transformers Universe was £578,659 as noted on page 17 of Jagex's "Consolidated Report and Financial Statements 31 December 2014" filed with UK Companies House.

Carnage Racing

In 2011, Jagex established a subsidiary in based in the United States to expand the range of games produced strategically. In October 2012, Jagex announced the opening of a video game development studio, called tinyGIANT Games, in Carlsbad, California, which employed many of the developers who previously worked on the Rockstar's Midnight Club series. The studio developed a combat racing game called Carnage Racing, which was developed using the Unity game engine.

Carnage Racing was available on Facebook Gaming on 15 November 2012. It was released on the App Store on 19 September 2013, for iPhone, iPad, and iPod Touch; and on Steam on 21 November 2013, for PC and Mac. Jagex was the publisher of the game.

Although the game can be played offline, online services were discontinued in late 2014.

RetroScape

Through December 2012, the game engineers at Jagex were looking into the possibility of launching an alternative RuneScape server with the combat system that existed before the Evolution of Combat. The consensus by the game engineers were that this would take about a year to develop, and thus the advice given to Jagex management were to not pursue this alternative.

When So Wreck3d launched a petition in January 2013, Jagex re-evaluated the idea to find alternative solutions towards the aim of restoring an old game version. In February 2013, this would result in the launch of Old School RuneScape.

Block N Load

Block N Load was a team-based first-person shooter, voxel-based, sandbox-style video game developed by Jagex and Artplant, and published by Jagex. The game was initially released as a paid title on 30 April 2015. It had a free weekend period from 30 April 2015 to 3 May 2015. Players who played it during that period were given the Cogwheel outfit via a redeemable code through the Billing Centre. It was changed to a free-to-play title as part of an update on 1 October 2015, with microtransactions backing it up.

In 2019, the game was taken over for further development by its co-developer, Artplant, which was acquired by Toadman Interactive in 2018.

Chronicle: RuneScape Legends

Main article: Chronicle: RuneScape Legends

Chronicle: RuneScape Legends was a card game based on the characters of RuneScape. It was made available via closed beta on 25 November 2015 through codes obtained from email. It was put into Open Beta on 25 April 2016 and later available on Steam on 26 May 2016.

It was announced on 8 May 2018 that it would be shutdown on 6 August 2018, with the ability to purchase Platinum in-game or via the Chronicle website disabled.

RuneScape Tactics and RuneScape: RPG Battler

RuneScape Tactics was a mobile role-playing game, and it was co-developed with a third-party mobile developer in the third quarter of 2016. At that time, it was still in the alpha stage (25% complete) and underwent appeal test to guide its next steps. It was predicted that if the game passed internal testing in the fourth quarter of 2016, it would be released on tablets and mobile phones in 2017.

RuneScape: RPG Battler was a mobile game unveiled at ChinaJoy 2016, shown that it was planned for release on tablets and mobile devices in 2017.

DarkScape

Main article: DarkScape

DarkScape, a branch of the RuneScape with only Legacy Mode enabled, was based upon mostly the PvP aspects of the game. It was mostly free, with members gaining 50% more experience for all actions. It lasted from 16 September 2015 to 28 March 2016.

RuneScape: Idle Adventures

Main article: RuneScape: Idle Adventures

RuneScape: Idle Adventures was an idle role-playing game spin-off of RuneScape announced on 17 February 2016, developed by Hyper Hippo and Jagex. It released on Steam on 1 September 2016.

On 17 April 2017, Hyper Hippo announced via the Steam forum for the game that development of the game had ceased, and the game would be shutting down and removed from Steam at 23:59 on 15 May 2017.

RuneScape Quests - One Piercing Note

Main article: One Piercing Note (Amazon Alexa)

RuneScape Quests is a Skill (voice-controlled app) for Amazon Alexa, a virtual assistant developed by Amazon. RuneScape Quests is available in both the United States and the United Kingdom.

RuneScape Quests - One Piercing Note is an interactive audio-adventure retelling game of the quest One Piercing Note released for Alexa. The game is is the first piece of content available through RuneScape Quests, which is produced by Jagex in partnership with Amazon. It was released in an update on 6 February 2017.

RuneScape Remastered

See also: osrsw:Old School RuneScape Mobile and RuneScape Mobile

RuneScape Remastered was a mobile version of RuneScape, which was remastered RuneScape using a modern engine and server architecture. It was in the prototype stage, with a demo available, and has undergone user research testing by a third-party platform in 2016. RuneScape Remastered was originally scheduled for release in the second half of 2017.

Jagex partnered with third-party research firm Bryter Research, which was responsible for testing the market potential of RS Remastered. Bryter Research completed a market survey of RuneScape players who had been active for more than two years, and the main conclusions were as follows: 54% of players are certain or very likely to play the game.

Jagex partnered with the third-party game testing platform Player Research to test the appeal to its target audience (players who churned from the original RuneScape series and mobile players) during the prototype phase. The survey results were as follows: 82% of respondents were interested or very interested in the game. 40% believed the game had great potential and hoped to see more content; 26% thought it was very similar to the original RuneScape and would try it; 21% found the game fun and engaging. The vast majority of gamers felt the game rekindled and stimulated their interest in RuneScape and its mobile version.

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  Roadmap of RuneScape Remastered
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RuneScape Next Gen and Aftermath

Jagex was simultaneously developing two games: RuneScape Next Gen and Aftermath. One was an unannounced MMO, and the other was action RPG, or rather, the two games were a hybrid of the two. Some employees were moved to the games like Mod Ollie, Mod Wulver, and Mod Deg. Development of these games began around 2017 and 2018 and continued until 2022.

“	RS NEXT GEN is built upon Impropable's groundbreaking Spatial OS technology, enabling dynamic world synchronisation, transitions, overlay, and narratives. This technology allows hundreds of game engines to run simultaneously and collaborate on cloud servers, simulating larger, richer game worlds with more players. RS NEXT GEN captures the essence of the RuneScape series accumulated over 16 years of operation, adopting a brand-new visual design and easy-to-learn gameplay to cater to the needs of modern gamers for MMORPGs. The game employs a dynamic quest system, allowing players to freely choose how to complete quest objectives. Jagex plans to launch the game in multiple countries and regions through partners around the world. Due to the technological innovations and global distribution plans of RS NEXT GEN, the game is expected to achieve good returns.	”
— Fukong

Jagex conducted market research during the development of RS NEXT GEN, including interviewees from three categories: current players, former players, and new players. According to Bryter Research, 65% of respondents were very interested in the game. The survey also found that in addition to the majority of current players being very interested in the game, it was particularly attractive to new players.

The PC version of RS NEXT GEN was expected to be released in the first quarter of 2019. Jagex planned to launch the PC and mobile versions of RS NEXT GEN in China in 2020.

Another topic mentioned in 2012, also known as "RuneScape: Next Gen", refers to Jagex's browser-based technology, which invested heavily in graphics and gameplay, featuring higher visual and audio fidelity, improved camera mechanics, and a more customisable interface system. It is now called RuneScape 3.

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  Roadmap of RuneScape Next Gen
• VFX prototype of RuneScape and Aftermath
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  Concept arts of HUD design of Aftermath

Shield of Dawn

Shield of Dawn was a fast-paced fantasy shooter built for virtual reality and developed by Jagex. Attendees at ChinaJoy 2017 had the opportunity to try out the demo version of the unreleased game then called DawnFire. It was planned to released on Oculus and Steam VR.

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iOS games

Jagex released several games for iOS devices. They are:

• Bouncedown (announced on 11 December 2009)
• StarCannon (announced on 15 April 2010)
• Miner Disturbance (announced on 25 June 2010)
• Undercroft (announced on 16 September 2010)

Third-party publishing

Jagex Publishing

In 2010, Jagex Publishing were launched, a publishing division of Jagex, with the first game War of Legends published. Jagex planned to continue expanding its player base by releasing games developed by third parties. In 2012, Jagex was launching a third-party publishing studio working with external developers to product content. In 2013, Jagex decided to pause the expansion of the Publishing division to ensure the two main games were prioritised above other activities.

Jagex Partners

Jagex Partners were launched in 2018,, which are the third-party publishing division of Jagex, focusing its publishing services for live games created by partner game studios. In late 2021, Jagex Partners published the first third-party game under Jagex Partners.

In 2023, Jagex decided to refocus its publishing efforts on its owned intellectual property. Jagex is no longer actively building a portfolio of third-party games and will only consider such deals when an opportunity arises.

As of May 2023, Jagex Partners provided support to Games by Malcs for Melvor Idle, Snowcastle Games for Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure and Outlier Games for This Means Warp.

Publishing deal with Snowcastle Games

In 2022, Jagex Partners signed a three-game publishing deal with Snowcastle Games. As of May 2023, Jagex stated that they provided support to Snowcastle Games for Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure.

According to the Steam store page for Earthlock and Ikonei Island: An Earthlock Adventure, Jagex was the publisher from 18 November 2022 to 14 August 2023. From 24 October 2023 to 28 October 2025, Jetpack Collective was the primary publisher of Ikonei Island, which Snowcastle Games announced this update in 3 December 2025. The Iterative Collective is the publisher of Ikonei Island in Asia territories since mid 2023.

Published third-party games

War of Legends

War of Legends, a now defunct flash-based online strategy game released on 19 January 2010, it contained Jagex's first instance of microtransactions in games, and was eventually shut down on 29 January 2015 due to unresolved security issues.

Planetarion

On 26 July 2010, it was confirmed that Jagex purchased the online space warfare game, Planetarion, and Jagex planned to improve the game with original development team. On 30 August 2013, Jagex announced that they granted an exclusive licence to a new company formed by original development team to continue operating and managing the game. Jagex retains ownership but is no longer the publisher.

Herotopia

On 10 May 2011, Jagex announced that it was working with Herotainment, a New York-based children's media company, to publish Herotopia. Jagex has not been the publisher of the game since May 2012.

Herotopia, was a award-winning flash-based MMO for kids released on 14 July 2011, which focused on helping kids to learn and practice the best ways to deal with bullies.

Entropy

Entropy, a spaceshooter released as beta on 9 December 2013. On December 9, Jagex was listed as the game's publisher, but on December 10, the publisher was changed to the developer, Artplant.

Space Punks

On 8 July 2021, Jagex announced the Early Access launch of its free-to-play action title Space Punks, a sci-fi looter-shooter developed by Flying Wild Hog and published by Jagex Partners, on 14 July exclusively on Epic Games Store. On 5 September 2023, it was announced the game would shutdown on 6 November 2023.

Melvor Idle

Melvor Idle, a "feature-rich idle game" heavily inspired by the "setting, skills, combat and mechanics of RuneScape", developed by Games by Malcs, became a published game under Jagex on 21 October 2021 while it was in early access. It was fully released nearly a month later on 18 November on the Steam platform as well as offering free-to-try mobile versions on iOS and Android.

This Means Warp

On 3 February 2022, Jagex announced that signed a deal with Outlier Games to publish This Means Warp, a 1-4 person sci-fi co-op game featuring roguelike spaceship management. It was released on 4 May 2023.

Prominence Poker

Prominence Poker, a card game that pits players from around the world against each other, as well as against artificial intelligence. It is a game developed by Pipeworks Studios and released in 2016. It was previously published by 505 Games and Pipeworks. Jagex was listed as the publisher from 20 February 2023 to 10 November 2025. It is currently published by Pipeworks.

Products worked with Fukong Interactive

Whilst owned by Fukong Interactive, Jagex worked with Fukong Interactive's game development teams to support the creation of new RuneScape games, specifically for the Chinese market.

At ChinaJoy 2017, attendees were able to play RuneScape: Chronicle, RuneScape: Heroes, and another unreleased Jagex game, DawnFire, the latter of which was a VR FPS game. Jagex and Fukong Interactive also sold RuneScape: Heroes themed merch, including Ariane and Princess Astrid themed body pillows.

In one, of many, publicly available Fukong Interactive documents stated:

“	Jagex has begun its expansion into the Chinese market for games based on the RuneScape IP, aiming to adapt to the needs of the Chinese market by deeply exploring the characteristics of the RuneScape IP. Initially, the expansion will focus on two currently in development: RuneScape: Chronicle and RuneScape: Heros. These two games will be developed and published by a Chinese partner, with Jagex providing support in areas such as asset design. These two games are expected to be launched and released in China in the first and second halves of 2018, respectively[...]	”
— Fukong

“	From 2018 to 2019, Jagex's existing IPs, RuneScape Chronicles and RuneScape Heroes, will be developed and published by a Chinese partner, with Jagex providing support such as asset design. Jagex has signed licensing agreements with its Chinese partner for these two IPs, receiving 12% of the total game revenue.	”
— Fukong

Five games were planned to be released during the acquisition periods.

• RuneScape: Chronicle (卢恩之域·编年史)
• RuneScape: Heroes (卢恩之域·英雄)
• RuneScape: Dissidia (卢恩之域·纷争)
• RuneScape: Dungeon
• 魔卡酒馆

RuneScape: Chronicle (卢恩之域·编年史)

“	Chronicle[: RuneScape Legends] was originally a TCG card battle game based on the IP of Runescape (卢恩之域), which gained widespread attention from players in Europe and America. Now, Fukong Interactive is targeting the hot and burgeoning e-sports market in China, reshaping and reorganising the original gameplay of Chronicle[: RuneScape Legends], which has been highly praised, to create a brand-new casual adventure competitive gameplay that is unique in the world. With its rich experience in mobile game development and production capabilities, [RuneScape: ]Chronicle will create a new world in the TCG and e-sports market.	”
— Fukong

After Jagex licensed its intellectual property to Fukong Interactive's Chinese partner, the Chinese partner planned to assemble a 30-person R&D team for development. The core members all had more than 12 years of industry experience and came from leading game and IT companies such as NetEase, Ubisoft, and Warner Bros.

It was a mobile game planned to be released in 2018.

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RuneScape: Heroes (卢恩之域·英雄)

RuneScape Heroes

“	A brand-new card-based sandbox RPG mobile game, RuneScape: Heroes, based on the RuneScape (卢恩之域), is about to make its debut. This game will reinterpret RuneScape with a card collection system and innovative sandbox world exploration. Players will act as guardians of the vast continent of Gielinor, recruiting heroes, exploring the sandbox world, collecting rare materials, forging powerful weapons, and overcoming countless obstacles along the way to save the war-torn continent of Gielinor and restore its vitality.	”
— Fukong

After Jagex licensed its intellectual property to Fukong Interactive's Chinese partner, the Chinese partner planned to assemble a 40-person R&D team for development. The core members all had more than 13 years of industry experience and came from leading game and IT companies such as Shanda, Giant Interactive Group, Microsoft, and Webzen.

It was a mobile game planned to be released in 2018.

RuneScape: Dissidia (卢恩之域·纷争)

“	RuneScape: [Dissidia][ is] develop[ed] with a leading domestic developer, expanding upon the RuneScape IP for the European and American markets. RuneScape: [Dissidia] is defined as a revolutionary product in the RuneScape series. It not only inherits the rich gameplay and consistent worldview of the RuneScape series but also represents a historic leap for RuneScape from web to mobile. Based on diverse sandbox gameplay, it combines exploration and combat to create entirely new gameplay experiences. This collaboratively developed product, targeting the European and American markets, integrates the grand worldview and lore advantages of RuneScape with the mature concepts of Chinese game development, especially MMORPG development, possessing significant potential as a blockbuster. In the West, where top-tier MMO mobile games are lacking, the emergence of RuneScape: [Dissidia] is bound to bring extraordinary market effects.	”
— Fukong

The RuneScape Dissidia project was developed in collaboration with a third-party Chinese development team and Jagex. Jagex was responsible for providing materials related to the game's worldview and was also responsible for regularly reviewing the project's progress during development. RuneScape Dissidia was an MMORPG on mobile with microtransaction. The project was expected to release in June 2018 and had a lifespan of two years.

魔卡酒馆

The game 魔卡酒馆 (literal translation: Magic Card Tavern) was a TCG card battle game based on the RuneScape IP and the PC game Chronicle: RuneScape Legends. The core gameplay was retained, and the game experience and gameplay were optimised on this basis. It was focused on the Chinese market and redeveloped to suit the characteristics of Chinese strategy game players. It was expected to be launched in Europe, America and China by Jagex starting in the third quarter of 2019.

Charity and social impact

Jagex has maintained a commitment to philanthropic activities since 2004, focusing on causes related to youth, mental health, accessibility, and gaming inclusion through in-game campaigns, partnerships, and employee initiatives. Jagex made donations to a number of national and international charities. It also ran charity auctions for signed merchandise.

In 2005 to 2009, Jagex donated money to charity, broken down as below.

• Year ending March 2005 - £27,508
• Year ending March 2006 - £106,433
• Year ending March 2007 - £103,152
• Year ending March 2008 - £146,007
• Year ending March 2009 - £191,685

Between 2005 and 2009, Jagex donated to the following charities:

• Save the Children
• CAFOD
• Hamlin Churchill Childbirth Injuries Fund
• Cancer Research
• Cystic Fibrosis Trust
• The University of Pennsylvania
• Royal Marsden Cancer Campaign
• Bury Bombers Wheelchair Basketball
• SOS Children's Villages
• East Anglican Children's Hospice (EACH)

Jagex held charity auctions for signed merchandise. In 2008, they donated artwork and prizes to MMOCalendar, which raises funds for St. Jude Children's Research Hospital in the United States.

Jagex participated in the Movember charity for men's health. In addition, Jagex celebrated International Women's Day in several years.

Jagex raised appropriately £7,000 annually as of 2012. Jagex was involved in Children in Need, Red Nose Day and numerous other charitable events throughout the year.

The company's signature fundraising mechanism is the Well of Goodwill, an donation poll in RuneScape where players can donate coins, items, and bonds. Jagex then converted these donations into real-world donations at a certain ratio (e.g., 10 million coins equals $1). This campaign was held multiple times between 2013 and 2016, raising substantial funds; for example, the 2013 campaign alone raised $90,838, which was distributed to seven organisations including Willow Foundation, SpecialEffect, Action For Kids, Games Aid, Internet Watch Foundation, HART and the DEC Philippines Typhoon Appeal.

Jagex has established an important partnership with the UK charity SpecialEffect. In 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2018, Jagex has been supporting SpecialEffect through its annual GameBlast events, which include in-game donations and live streams. In 2016 and 2018, these efforts culminated in a 24-hour gaming marathon and related RuneScape events, raising over $150,000 and £100,000 to help the charity provide customised gaming equipment to hundreds of people each year.

From 2017 to 2021, Jagex have raised more than £1 million for their charity partners. From 2018 to the early 2020s, Jagex expand its focus to the areas of mental health. For example, during the COVID-19 lockdowns in 2020, the Jagex and RuneScape communities raised £204,000 for mental health charities such as The Prince's Trust, CPSL Mind, and Rise Above the Disorder through in-game events and live streams. In the extraordinary year of 2020, thanks to the support of its players, Jagex donated over £445,000 to its charitable partners. Jagex won the Inside Out Awards for Excellence in the Mental Health Agenda during lockdown for its work related to the COVID-19 pandemic in its partnership with mental health charities in 2021. This was Jagex's fifth Charity award since 2018.

Jagex is extending these efforts into 2026, with its charity partners focusing on mental health, diversity, and inclusion, including Into Games, Safe In Our World, Blueprint for All, and SpecialEffect. From 2018 to 2025, Jagex held Mental Health Awareness Week and Charity Week, where players can support its partners by purchasing charity bundles and receive free in-game items by donating RuneCoins.

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  Members of Jagex staff that participated in Movember
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  Members of Jagex staff that celebrated International Women's Day

Fundraising campaign in RuneFest

RuneFest is an annual event for RuneScape players, featuring fundraising activities with dedicated Jagex's partner charities, including a charity zone (which may sell exclusive merchandise), charity auctions, and live events. Here are some highlights:

• All revenue that cames from Runefest 2010 was donated to charity.
• At RuneFest 2014 featured prominent community recognition for fundraising efforts, including "B0aty" winning two Golden Gnome Awards for his charity stream work.
• At RuneFest 2016, the SpecialEffect charity presented a Golden Gnome to the entire player base for raising around £200,000 since 2014. A virtual version of the Golden Gnome is now an in-game statue that can be viewed by every players.
• At RuneFest 2017, the Old School RuneScape Deadman Autumn Invitational concluded with a charity component. The winning team from #DeadmanMansions will get $10,000 to donate to a charity of their choice. However, the original winner was disqualified. The $10,000 was donated to three of Jagex's partner charities.
• RuneFest 2018 featured a charity initiative in partnership with Jagex to support three causes: CPSL Mind, The Prince's Trust, and YMCA. A specialised eBay auction was held to coincide with the event, allowing community members to bid on items to raise funds for these organisations.
• At RuneFest 2019, a charity auction raised over £5,500 for SpecialEffect. A fundraising campaign for SpecialEffects related to the event was held on the JustGiving platform.
• RuneFest 2025 invited three charities to attend the event, including SpecialEffect, Safe In Our World, and Blueprint for All, and accepted donations to support their causes.

Player engagement and events

See also: Official sites

RuneFest 2026 logo

Jagex fosters player engagement through a variety of community-driven events and initiatives, most notably the annual RuneFest convention. RuneFest, held offline from 2010 to 2019 and into 2025, is an important gathering for fans of the RuneScape franchises. Through panel discussions, cosplay parades, developer Q&A sessions, and game announcements, it strengthens connections between developers and players, and among players themselves. The event was suspended after 2019 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and external factors, and no offline or online events were held between 2020 and 2024. It was then revived in March 2025 at the NEC Birmingham, UK, becoming the largest edition to date and expanding activities such as game testing and community showcases.

Jagex's core player engagement strategy is community voting, which empowers players to directly influence game development. A landmark example is the February 2013 vote that led to the creation of Old School RuneScape. At that time, 449,351 players voted to restore the August 2007 backup of the game, ultimately leading to its official release. More recently, in October 2025, Jagex held a community vote to remove the Treasure Hunter microtransaction from RuneScape. The vote passed with over 124,985 votes, and it was removed on 19 January 2026, highlighting the company's commitment to letting players drive the core features.

In-game events and structured feedback mechanisms further enhance player engagement. Annual presentations such as RuneScape Ahead, Old School RuneScape Summit, and RuneScape Dragonwilds Summit announce upcoming content, such as new quests, bosses, and skill updates for the RuneScape series, while also soliciting feedback from the community. In addition, in 2023, Jagex formed the "New Skill Player Council" by inviting selected survey respondents through Discord to gather targeted feedback on major updates to potential new skills.

Jagex actively maintains its presence on social media to foster ongoing dialogue, including on the official Discord server and Reddit subreddits, where developers can interact with players and discuss updates and issues. These platforms support a vibrant community, and live streaming facilitates direct communication and content creation.

On 28 March 2024, Jagex permanently shut down the official forums, after over 22 years of operation. The reason for this decision was the decline in user numbers and the inability to compete with modern, real-time communication tools, as the community has shifted to platforms such as Discord, Reddit, and Twitter. Posting was disabled on 25 January 2024, followed by a total closure and removal of viewing access in March. Over two decades of history were removed, including user-posted guides and historical community discussions. Players were encouraged to transition to the official Discord servers and subreddits for discussion. The closure marked the end of an era for the RuneScape community, which had used the forums for clan recruitment, feedback, and socialisation since 2001.

Communication channels

In early 2008, Jagex created their own YouTube channel, called "thejagexchannel", which was "The official YouTube channel for Jagex Ltd, producers of quality online games based on Java technology.". However this channel is rarely used and the majority of Jagex's YouTube activity occurs on their RuneScape channel, under the name "RuneScape".

Jagex also has a X account, alongside a presence on Twitter from many Jagex employees, a Facebook page, and a Instagram account.

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Controversies

Microtransactions and monetisation

On 28 February 2012, Jagex introduced microtransactions for the first time in RuneScape, launching the Squeal of Fortune feature, where players could spin the wheel to win rewards. Subsequently, starting 2 April 2012, players could choose to purchase additional spins with real money. On 25 September 2013, Jagex introduced in-game currency Bonds, which players could buy with real money and exchange for coins, membership subscription, and other benefits, thus effectively enabling real-money transactions without the need for direct cash-to-coin transactions (a form of real-world trading). On 4 February 2014, Treasure Hunter replaced Squeal of Fortune with a loot box system where players could use keys obtained in-game or purchased with real money to open chests for rewards such as experience, items, and cosmetic override. Jagex also experimented with various strategies to supplement its funding model, including the season passes, battle pass, and event packs. These systems were designed to fund ongoing development while providing a free-to-play experience and alleviating the pressure of content updates, but Treasure Hunter has been particularly criticised for its pay-to-win mechanic, where purchased keys accelerate progress through large amount of experience and skill aids that are unavailable or limited in regular gameplay.

Microtransactions have become a major source of revenue, accounting for a significant portion of Jagex's RuneScape's revenue in the early 2020s, although the specific breakdown has not been disclosed; the company's total microtransactions revenue in 2020 was £27 million, equivalent to 29.6% of its subscription revenue in the same year. Over the years, criticism has intensified, with players arguing that the "Treasure Hunter" mode favours "pay-to-win" players, undermines fair competition, and has led to strong community backlash and player attrition. In a 2025 Jagex survey, 60% of former players said that microtransactions detracted from their experience of the game. The escalating criticism eventually led to scrutiny from UK regulators. In 2023, the Advertising Standards Authority (ASA) launched an investigation into Jagex as the UK government engaged in extensive consultations on the regulation of in-game purchasing, particularly loot boxes. In March 2024, the ASA warned that Jagex may have violated advertising guidelines because it failed to disclose in-game purchases, including random items, and highlighted the Necromancy advertisement. Previously, in July 2023, the Association for UK Interactive Entertainment (Ukie) launched an industry self-regulation effort to address loot boxes, and Jagex was involved in the effort.

These criticisms prompted the game to diversify its offerings, including enhanced content updates and cosmetic-focused sales, in an effort to strike a balance between sustainability and player satisfaction. In response to ongoing discontent, Jagex launched a major overhaul in 2025 and initiated a community vote on 29 October to decide the fate of Treasure Hunters. Jagex pledged that if it received 100,000 votes in favour by 12 November, it would completely remove Treasure Hunters, including all keys, related experience items, and skill aids. On 30 October 2025, the voting results exceeded the threshold, receiving more than 100,000 votes in favour, and ended on 12 November, confirming that Treasure Hunter would be removed on 19 January 2026. This removal is part of the "Integrity Roadmap", which aims to improve the user interface, rebalance skilling and experience, and provide cosmetic microtransaction options. Then-CEO Mod North emphasised that the company was willing to accept insufficient revenue for long-term survival, and stated that although the decline in microtransaction sales might cause financial losses, the company would still increase its investment in core experiences.

Legal and community disputes

In 2012, Jagex filed a lawsuit against the developers of the bot software used to automate the RuneScape game, accusing them of copyright infringement and circumventing the technology protections of the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA). This move was part of the company's ongoing efforts to remove bots and gold farming from RuneScape. The United States District Court for the District of Massachusetts ruled in favour of Jagex, finding that the defendant used technical means to circumvent the DMCA, creating and distributing bot programs that undermined the integrity of the game and gave it an unfair advantage.

Jagex remains committed to protecting its intellectual property, including cooperating with the police in investigations, issuing cease and desist letters, initiating UDRP disputes, and combating unauthorised private servers (hosting modified versions of its games), illegal phishing websites, and real-world trading sites. These actions aim to curb unauthorised copying and commercialisation of RuneScape assets, reflecting its continued crackdown on community-driven modifications that violate the Terms of Service. On 7 September 2024, Jagex announced Project Zanaris, a plan from the studio for a custom-built Old School RuneScape community-operated server, essentially an officially supported private server. However, on 3 June 2025, this plan was indefinitely shelved due to failing to meet player expectations.

Jagex responded proactively to stolen account gold, even in a theft that occurred in 2018, the company, after investigation, dismissed the employee for gross misuse of moderator privileges. This employee hacked 68 player accounts and seizing 705 billion of gold pieces, which he then sold outside the game for Bitcoin. Jagex claimed the gold pieces was worth over £543,000. This led to another ruling that could have a profound impact on the gaming industry. The ruling determined that the gold pieces in Old School RuneScape are "property" under the Theft Act 1968.

Starting in 2021, Jagex began cracking down on real-money trading, including shutting down the Duel Arena, a free duel alternative in RuneScape Classic, to combat methods of circumventing anti-cheat detection. Especially in September 2025, Jagex intensified its crackdown on real-world trading in the RuneScape franchise, implementing large-scale bans and asset seizures. The targets were both buyers and sellers of in-game currency trading with real money, as they were violating game rules and fuelling the bot economy. The policy shift, emphasising permanent bans without prior warning, sparked community debate about the fairness of enforcement but did not escalate into a major controversy.

The 2024 acquisition of Jagex by CVC Capital Partners and Haveli Investments ignited concerns within the player community about a potential shift in the game's direction. In January 2025, a Jagex player survey proposed raising the highest-tier subscription plan to $32.49 per month, or adding in-game ads and account restrictions, ultimately leading to a strong backlash from players. Players responded with in-game riots, cancelling subscriptions, and flooding Steam with negative reviews, causing the RuneScape series' "recent rating" to drop. These actions highlighted players' anxieties about commercialisation eroding the core gaming experience. Several days later, Jagex decided to suspend the survey and clarify its concerns.

In June 2025, company layoffs affected non-player service positions, but included some employees involved in the community server project and key developers, further fuelling community discontent. Meanwhile, internal employee disputes surfaced at Jagex. An anonymous employee leaked Jagex's plans to cancel the Pride event, accusing management of succumbing to external conservative pressure after the acquisition. This revelation sparked public criticism from developers and players, exacerbating tensions within the company culture, but ultimately subsided before the controversy escalated.

Guinness World Records

Jagex was awarded three certificates by Guinness World Records in 2017

Record	Who	What	When	Notes
Most prolifically updated MMORPG videogame	RuneScape	1,014 total number	25 July 2017	As of 25 July 2017, that amounted to an incredible 1,014 updates.
Most original pieces of music in a videogame (including expansions)	RuneScape (Jagex)	1,198 total number	25 July 2017	As of 25 July 2017, there were 1,198 individual songs in Jagex's MMO RuneScape, all composed specifically for the game.
Most users of an MMO videogame	RuneScape	254,994,744 total number	25 July 2017	As of 25 July 2017, there had been 254,994,744 player accounts created since the game's launch in 2001.
Greatest aggregate time playing an MMO or MMORPG videogame (all players)	RuneScape	443000000000 minute(s)	27 July 2013	As of 27 July 2012, RuneScape players have amassed 443 billion minutes of game time between them.
Most videogame-related forum posts per day	RuneScape	27000 unit(s) sold	19 June 2013	As of 19 June 2013, the RuneScape community is posting an average of 27,000 posts every 24 hours on the game's forums.
Most used term in RuneScape	RuneScape	6048000 total number	19 June 2013	As of 19 June 2013, Jagex has researched the most used term in RuneScape and found it to be "lol" ("laugh out loud"). This is said an average 6,048,000 times every week within the game. Swear words in the game are replaced by the word "cabbage" because of the developer's dislike for the vegetable.
First MMO videogame to release an "old school" version	Old School RuneScape (Jagex, 2013)	First	22 February 2013	Jagex created Old School RuneScape an separate game based on a backup of the RuneScape source code from August 2007.
Most fish in a videogame	RuneScape	N/A	21 July 2012	More than 8 billion fish were caught by RuneScape players in 2012.
Most bots banned in a week	RuneScape	N/A	30 October 2011	Jagex banned an astonishing 7.7 million bots in one week in October 2011.

One of the Guinness World Records mentioned in an update, the most popular free MMORPG in the world, cannot be found on the online version of Guinness World Records at present.

Logo gallery

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  The logo since 1999
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  The logo since 2007
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  The logo since 2009
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  The logo since 2017
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  The logo since 2026
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  The logo on press release banner
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  The logo used on Charity page before 2026

Trivia

• The name Jagex originally stood for "Java Audio Graphics Extension". It was retrofitted to stand for "Java Gaming Experts" when Jagex was registered as a company in June 2000.

External links

• Jagex's official site
• YouTube - Jagex's Channel
• YouTube - RuneScape's Channel
• RuneScape official site