Jagex announces fourth RuneScape game, an Unreal Engine MMO, at RuneFest

Jagex announced a fourth game in the RuneScape franchise at RuneFest, its annual RuneScape celebration, held that weekend in Birmingham, United Kingdom. Polygon and IGN reported the announcement at 16:00 local time, with PC Gamer following at 17:44. The game is being built in Unreal Engine, has no official title — Jagex is using RS4 as a working title — and IGN said a release is not expected for at least a few years. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

The project began as an expansion for RuneScape: Dragonwilds called Shadows of Ashenfall. Jesse America, executive producer on Dragonwilds, said in a pre-RuneFest briefing attended by Polygon that players wanted more social mechanics in the survival game, so the team worked to make Dragonwilds more closely resemble a typical Jagex game, with persistent servers, high player counts and player-to-player trading. America said the first prototypes and designs pointed to a completely different scope: “We came to the realization that it essentially would be an MMO, and that it deserved its own game.” He added that the entire studio will work on it. PC Gamer reported, citing MMORPG.com, that the expansion version had targeted a 2027 release and that scaling up to a full game has almost assuredly pushed that back. [ 1 , 3 ]

The teaser trailer showed a game focused on dragons, which players can fight and ride. PC Gamer described a medieval town in a verdant valley under floating islands, an adventurer riding a dragon who comes under attack by a three-headed dragon, and a wizard watching from below before welcoming a new adventurer to the city. IGN quoted Jagex saying the game will “bring the world of Gielinor to life in Unreal Engine,” combining the depth, freedom and community-led spirit that have defined RuneScape for 25 years with current technology and game design. PC Gamer said it is unclear whether the studio is using Unreal Engine 5 or the upcoming version 6. [ 1 , 2 , 3 ]

In a blog post cited by IGN, Jagex said it announced the game so early because it wants to build on the technology developed for Dragonwilds and the community co-development established through RuneScape and Old School RuneScape. The developer said RS4 is not a replacement for RuneScape, Old School RuneScape or Dragonwilds, each of which has its own dedicated team and will continue to see investment, and that the new game will sit alongside them as an additional way to experience RuneScape and the world of Gielinor. America described the new title as the studio's fourth pillar. Polygon, however, noted that Jagex has yet to confirm the future of its other games. [ 1 , 2 ]

IGN also reported that Jagex announced an animated RuneScape adaptation with MoistCr1TiKaL, which the other documents do not mention. PC Gamer noted that Jagex's retro version, Old School RuneScape, is by far the company's most successful game, and raised the open question of whether RuneScape 4 will continue character progression from RuneScape 3 the way RuneScape 3 did for RuneScape 2. IGN noted that earlier sequel names — RuneScape 2 in 2004 and RuneScape 3 in 2013 — were eventually dropped in favour of simply RuneScape, which is now treated as an ongoing live service. [ 2 , 3 ]