RuneScape is one of the oldest online games still active today, and Jagex, the company that started the MMORPG phenomenon, is celebrating the game's 25th anniversary with what it is calling its "largest ever investment" into the future of the franchise. Not only does that involve changing the company name to Jagex: The RuneScape Company, but it also includes a major investment in developing new content, new expansions for RuneScape: Dragonwilds, and a new roadmap for Old School RuneScape.
A new video from the studio showcases what the team at Jagex has planned as part of the celebrations, like the return of RuneFest with double the capacity of previous events to make it the biggest RuneFest ever, and also takes a trip down memory lane to show off how far RuneScape has come in the last 25 years.
"It’s incredible to think a quarter century has passed since RuneScape’s beginnings as a Java-based browser game," said Jon Bellamy, chief executive officer of Jagex, in a press release. "Today we’re speaking to the largest and most active RuneScape community in our history, and this milestone is as much theirs as it is ours."
"RS25 is more than a celebration of where we’ve come from, it’s a statement of where we’re going," Bellamy continues. "We’re investing in our games, the player experience, our technology, and our teams to ensure RuneScape and its worlds continue to inspire and connect millions for decades to come. This is a year defined by investment, momentum, community obsession, and building the foundations of Jagex / RuneScape’s next great era."
Today's announcement unfortunately doesn't reveal too many specifics regarding what players can look forward to in-game, but it does tell them when to expect those details. The upcoming roadmap for Old School RuneScape will be shown off at the Old School RuneScape Winter Summit stream, which will be streamed on January 25, 2026.
The new roadmap and expansions for RuneScape: Dragonwilds will be showcased at its own dedicated summit on January 29, 2026, and ahead of both of those summits, Jagex will host an RS Ahead live stream on January 19, 2026, to provide a full update of what the new era of RuneScape will look like.
Again, we don't yet have full details, but we know it will include "a comprehensive rejuvenation rooted in integrity, visual renewal, and a renewed focus on what makes the game special. Alongside a long-requested Player Avatar refresh and meaningful visual upgrades, and major improvements to player support, all designed to better serve the community at the heart of RuneScape."
And perhaps most importantly, it'll also include the removal of the Treasure Hunter microtransactions system, which the community voted to remove in November 2025.
Lastly, what may not be the most exciting thing for players who just want to know about what's new for the future of RuneScape, but is arguably the most important announcement regarding the franchises future, is the establishment of the Future Talent Pathway alongside Into Games.
It's a mentorship and development programme that's being set up to help the next generation of game developers get their foot in the door, specifically designed to help people from low-income and working-class homes get access to the tools they need for a career in game development.
"RuneScape has always been about building worlds together," added Bellamy. "Our Future Talent Pathway reflects that same belief, empowering aspiring local new creators and developers to push boundaries, learn from some of the best in the industry, and build the experiences that will define the future of online play. It’s our commitment to nurturing talent, elevating creativity, and ensuring Jagex continues to lead from the front for the next 25 years."
When longstanding studios like Twisted Pixel, Sanzaru, and Volition, just to name a few, get shut down, not only are we losing out on whatever those studios might have made in the short term, we're losing out on established studios that had pipelines for young developers to follow, with industry veterans there to mentor them on how to improve and move forward in their career. Programs like Jagex's Future Talent Pathway are critical to the future of the industry, and could result in the most significant impact on not just RuneScape's, but gaming's future.
"This 25th anniversary marks not only a celebration of Jagex’s legacy, but the start of an exciting new chapter," added Marc Allera, chair of Jagex. "We’re entering a period of growth and innovation, expanding how we build, play, and connect with our global community. Backed by the largest ever investment in the RuneScape franchise, we’re committing record levels of funding into new content for RuneScape, Old School RuneScape and RuneScape: Dragonwilds, and into tooling and technologies to make the experience of being a RuneScape player better and more seamless than ever before. These investments will shape the next chapter around the community, while rewarding the players that brought us here – for us, the best of Jagex is still to come."
About the author: David has been writing about videogames, technology, and culture since 2020, with a focus on reporting daily news across multiple publications, including GameDaily.Biz, GameSkinny, and PlayStation Universe before joining Wccftech in 2025. David started contributing as Canada/US reporter for Wccftech's gaming section in 2025. Besides being up-to-date on the industry's movements, he loves interviewing developers, reviewing games, and writing intricate essays about the symbolism and layered meanings to be found in rich narratives as he's done for publications like GamesIndustry.Biz, LostInCult, and others. Outside of games he loves movies, music, theatre, his hometown, and his family, though not necessarily in that order.
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