Few MMORPGs have lasted as long or longer than the iconic World of Warcraftand such an active MMO before it RuneScaperecently He celebrated his 25th anniversary.
What started as a simple little game to play online with friends has grown into a huge franchise, spawning three games (Old School RuneScape, RuneScape, RuneScape: Dragonwilds) with over 250,000 concurrent players just for the original Old School RuneScape.
However, it always seemed like a 2nd runner up to highly rated MMORPGs. World of Warcraft. However, Jon Bellamy, CEO of RuneScape’s Jagex: The RuneScape, recently revealed plans to change that in an interview with The Game Business YouTube channel.
Jon Bellamy declares that, and I quote, “The fantasy is that we’re not the number two biggest MMO brand in the world; we’re number one. There’s a big old gap between us and number one, but if we get it right, we know we’ll move forward.”
He continues, “It’s lofty and ambitious, but if you’re going to set lofty and ambitious goals, why not reach the top? So that’s the number one goal.”
Jagex is already working towards Jon Bellamy’s lofty ambitions by cutting RuneScape’s unpopular microtransactions, such as the Treasure Hunter perk, while improving the game’s systems to remove “a lot of the difficulty and pain in the game,” according to Jon.
In addition, Jagex plans to release RuneScape’s survival spin-off, RuneScape: Dragonwilds, on Xbox Series X|S and PlayStation 5.and reveal big news updates for the RuneScape franchise at RuneFest on October 3, 2026, hoping to bring back fans who have long abandoned the game while also bringing in new fans.
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Declaring that you want to be the number 1 MMO in the world is not an easy task, because many popular titles Final Fantasy XIV for Star Wars: The Old Republic tried and failed to overthrow the titan that is World of Warcraft.
In fact, the only time any MMO can stand up to World of Warcraft is when the game and Blizzard Entertainment stumble over their own feet. For example, when World of Warcraft: Shadowlands comes out in 2021, was so maligned by critics and fans alike that (along with a at that time, a controversial lawsuit was filed against Blizzard) caused a mass exodus of players Final Fantasy XIV Before returning for World of Warcraft: Dragonflight.
So RuneScape has a lot of work to do if it hopes to take the World of Warcraft crown. However, considering that the current World of Warcraft: Midnight expansion has been criticized for having one of the most popular fan favorites. the most rushed, flawed releases in gaming historyinfuriates fans for its absurd monetization practicesRuneScape may have to do THIS a lot to win over fans, especially if they plan to buy FOMO into live service trends and microtransactions.
But on the other hand, if Blizzard Entertainment takes time to polish its content releases and announces something really cool for World of Warcraft at BlizzCon 2026, adding a wrench to RuneScape’s plans, there is a chance to change things quickly.
Either way, we’ll have to wait and see who will rise as the king of MMORPGs in the coming months.
So what do you think? Do you think RuneScape’s plans to expand its franchise will help it overtake World of Warcraft, or will Blizzard’s iconic MMORPG maintain its position as the most popular and successful game in the genre?
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