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UK developer Jagex has announced a major push into the mobile space by bringing both versions of its flagship MMO RuneScape to smart devices.
Old School RuneScape, a retro-style affair based on older builds of the online RPG, will be released for smartphones and tablets this winter, with the more modern version of RuneScape to follow at a later date.
These are not separate mobile ports, either. Both games will allow cross-platform play with their PC counterparts and will even be interoperable, meaning players can log off from one device and instantly pick up the action on another.
We caught up with Jagex's director of communications Rich Eddy to find out more about the studio's strategy and how it is preparing to enter the increasingly competitive mobile marketplace.
"We want to take RuneScape to where people are playing, whether that's in its current MMORPG form or a spin-off franchise - that's something you'll see in the future," he tells GamesIndustry.biz. "Going onto new devices for new territories is one of the key things we're pushing towards at the moment.
"The first logical approach is to take the title to mobile because our players have grown up. RuneScape has been around for 16 years. People have different amounts of time than they did [16 years ago], and different ways of playing. Some people who were PC players are not now, but we can offer that same experience on a mobile device that people can dive in and out of. It's about making an MMO a second-screen experience."
Of course, while the original RuneScape was one of the earliest browser-based MMOs, when it comes to mobile the game is spectacularly late to the party. Companies have been delivering massively multiplayer experiences on smart devices for years, with some mobile titles even approaching the scale of World of Warcraft. However, few of these games have had a significant impact, instead overshadowed by more accessible multiplayer outings like Clash of Clans. How then can Jagex expect to see success from a 16-year-old game?
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