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[Grand Theft Scratchy]

Long-running fantasy MMO RuneScape will, almost 20 years after its initial launch, be making its way to Steam on 14th October.

Since its release back in 2001, RuneScape has only been available from developer Jagex's website, but it'll finally be making its way to Valve's platform next month as part of the studio's "mission to bring the RuneScape universe to more players globally" - a philosophy which has already seen the game expand onto Android, with a closed beta on iOS also now underway.

Jagex says RuneScape's Steam release will offer "bespoke membership packages", and will support a range of Steam features including Achievements. It also plans to deploy a dedicated support team for Steam users that will be tasked with maintaining a RuneScape Community Hub, as well as producing weekly announcements, articles, guides, videos, and artwork.

Jagex has certainly been DRAGON ITS HEELS over a Steam release.

Old School RuneScape, a 'classic' version of the game that's more or less as it was in 2007, is also making its way to Steam, but Jagex says this one isn't due to arrive until early next year.

Eurogamer's Matthew Reynolds recently took his first tentative steps in RuneScape as part of Clash of Fans week, under the watchful gaze of our resident long-time player Lottie Lynn. That might give you some idea of what to expect if you'd like to know more.

Almost two decades after launch, RuneScape is heading to Steam

Long-running fantasy MMO RuneScape will, almost 20 years after its initial launch, be making its way to Steam on 14th O…

www.eurogamer.net

 

[Myths]

It's about time. I do wish they would give us RSHD, but I can't complain. I've maxed on EOC and won't be touching that Archaeology skill. Not sure if or when I'll ever return to RS as it's been downhill since the introduction of Squeal and MTX thereafter.

 

[Knitted Knight]

It's about time. I do wish they would give us RSHD, but I can't complain. I've maxed on EOC and won't be touching that Archaeology skill. Not sure if or when I'll ever return to RS as it's been downhill since the introduction of Squeal and MTX thereafter.

I "quit" maxed out before Archaeology launched too. I always go back eventually.

 

[Droxcy]

Never thought I'd see the day wow. Long over due for sure I get on every once and awhile walk around and get off good memories.

 

[nani17]

That's pretty cool. Never played it but enjoyed the documentary on it

 

[Grand Theft Scratchy]

I've also never played it. Didn't even know there was a RuneScape 2 and 3 until just recently to be honest, but good news for anyone looking to play it through Steam.

 

[KingdomHeartsFan]

I don't touch RS3, stick to oldschool and no one is gonna touch that game on Steam. Third party launchers like Runelite make the experience infinitely better.

 

[Quartermaster]

Can't believe after all these years, no major company hasn't bought this IP. There's so much history and attachment. Young gamers in the early 20's grew up on this and it's a no brainier to remake it into a modern game. No body cares any more because it's a Java game online. Cheap graphics with big ideas limited by the former internet era. These idiots need to grow some balls and realize millions are waiting for a true reinvention.

 

[JerC]

Can't believe after all these years, no major company hasn't bought this IP. There's so much history and attachment. Young gamers in the early 20's grew up on this and it's a no brainier to remake it into a modern game. No body cares any more because it's a Java game online. Cheap graphics with big ideas limited by the former internet era. These idiots need to grow some balls and realize millions are waiting for a true reinvention.

So much misinformation here. The more popular version of the game is the Oldschool version. The modern one has turned people away when they started reinventing things.

For me RS will be a game that will have a limited appeal. It takes hundreds of hours to have your account ready for any end game activities which wont appeal to a lot of people.

I have over 5k hours between both versions combined and still play OSRS daily. Wont move to steam because of RuneLite.

 

[AV]

Can't believe after all these years, no major company hasn't bought this IP. There's so much history and attachment. Young gamers in the early 20's grew up on this and it's a no brainier to remake it into a modern game. No body cares any more because it's a Java game online. Cheap graphics with big ideas limited by the former internet era. These idiots need to grow some balls and realize millions are waiting for a true reinvention.

So far off base. OSRS is popular because they tried to make it more modern. OSRS regularly hits between 100k and 150k concurrent players, RS3 is only hitting between 40k and 60k. At the very second I write this OSRS would be the 5th most played game on Steam, RS3 would be about #25.

 

[Kadve]

Can't believe after all these years, no major company hasn't bought this IP. There's so much history and attachment. Young gamers in the early 20's grew up on this and it's a no brainier to remake it into a modern game. No body cares any more because it's a Java game online. Cheap graphics with big ideas limited by the former internet era. These idiots need to grow some balls and realize millions are waiting for a true reinvention.

It's already owned and has been for a long time by a Chinese holding company named Fukong. And they have been fighting teeth and claw too keep hold of Jagex ever since.

They recently for example made a big deal about selling the Jagex to an American management firm called Macarthur Fortune Holding, which they bought through a fund called Platinum Fortune.... said fund being founded by Fukong....

 

[SaturnSaturn]

Can't believe after all these years, no major company hasn't bought this IP. There's so much history and attachment. Young gamers in the early 20's grew up on this and it's a no brainier to remake it into a modern game. No body cares any more because it's a Java game online. Cheap graphics with big ideas limited by the former internet era. These idiots need to grow some balls and realize millions are waiting for a true reinvention.

You coundt be more wrong, i have been playing on and off since 2004, the whole reason this game crashed down in popularity was their "innovative" ideas, like Evolution of combat, thus making pvp trash, tiers for armors so strength stats dont matter, updating skills to make it easier, just overal trash.

Old School is way more popular than the modern game, even though they managed to dumb that game down, no penalties for deaths, grand exchange, third party clients are allowed that makes the game way easier, fuck jagex and their pandering to casuals on reddit, i miss the difficulty and challenge of the game.

 

[Bunker Hosted]

Maxed on RS3 (Minus archeology or whatev) and nearly 2200 total on OSRS.

The only issue I see with this entire thing, is that they claim they will have a support team via steam. They BARELY have support for the two main games, unless you count tweeting at mods and praying they see it support..

 

[Senua]

Interesting. I still have my account from 2004, had some good times as a nipper, OSRS is the way to go though now though.

 

[AV]

You coundt be more wrong, i have been playing on and off since 2004, the whole reason this game crashed down in popularity was their "innovative" ideas, like Evolution of combat, thus making pvp trash, tiers for armors so strength stats dont matter, updating skills to make it easier, just overal trash.

Old School is way more popular than the modern game, even though they managed to dumb that game down, no penalties for deaths, grand exchange, third party clients are allowed that makes the game way easier, fuck jagex and their pandering to casuals on reddit, i miss the difficulty and challenge of the game.

Was it really challenging though? I played back in the early 2000s as a kid/young teen around the time of Monkey Madness and Legends Quest etc. I beat those and whatever the other hard quests were at the time, the difficulty came in navigating a janky client on shit hardware/internet while being young and dumb. It's the same reason people thought Vanilla WoW was "hard" in 2004-6; it wasn't, everyone just had terrible setups and no idea how to play.

The last thing I remember doing were the TzHaar fight caves in 2005, so maybe they added hard stuff after that I never saw.

 

[HaveButOneLife]

Bumping because OSRS comes to Steam tomorrow. C++ client, uncapped frame rate.

 

[isoRhythm]

Woodcutting lvls?

 

[SaturnSaturn]

Woodcutting lvls?

82 but farming 98 and fletching and cooking 99

 

[SaturnSaturn]

Anyone interested in joing a neogaf clan chat?

Might be a nice way of chatting with members from here