Less than 2 weeks after announcing RuneScape Reignited, Jagex is calling it quits.

In the wake of angry backlash from players, Jagex admits it "missed the mark."

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As the saying goes, life comes at you fast, and the folks at RuneScape developer Jagex can certainly attest to that. Less than two weeks after announcing RuneScape Reignited — essentially a new character type on separate, unique servers designed as a way for new and lapsed players to restart their adventures — the studio has decided to cancel it.

There were problems with RuneScape Reignited almost from the start, with complaints ranging from potentially dividing the community to limited character interactions and the need to pay for a separate subscription. Just days after the initial announcement, Jagex apologized for leaving out veteran players, saying it was "considering a series of heavy revisions for Reignited based on your feedback."

A few days later, it provided a more specific list of desired changes and invited more feedback from players, "so we can follow up next week with more thoughts." With this feedback already, it seems Jagex has heard enough.

"Obviously, we missed that, and so we're not going forward with it," Philpott said in a blog post announcing the cancellation. "Our goal is to see Runescape grow again, with returning players and new players, but never at the expense of our current community."

Update on RuneScape Reignited - YouTube

This is a very sudden figure, but not unprecedented. For example, in 2023, Jagex released a new RuneScape pass following strong player backlash. In 2025, the studio scrapped "Treasure Hunter" microtransactions, which Jagex CEO John Bellamy said was "part of a broader transformation across Jagex, which sees a renewed commitment to delivering deeper value, greater fairness and long-term improvements for players."

The move hasn't been entirely smooth: recent price hikes haven't gone over well (unsurprisingly, of course), and Jagex's cowardly decision to cancel the in-game Pride Month events remains despite players outright blasting the studio for it. But at least in terms of gameplay, Jagex has shown a willingness to react with relative haste when things get bad enough - and that certainly qualifies.

RuneScape is getting a new character type that promises a fresh start, but current players are worried about dividing the community.

OpenAI employee removed RuneScape clone with ChatGPT code after Jagex cease and desist.

Despite the cancellation, Philpott invited new and returning players to join a free 10-day trial starting Dec. 2, which offers full access to all worlds and content. The 2027 Roadmap for RuneScape also remains:

"The future of RuneScape is still very bright," Philpot concluded. "RuneScape will always be built for and defined by its community. So please let us know when you feel we're wrong, and shout with equal vigor when you think we're getting it right."

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Andy has been gaming on PCs since he was a teenager, starting with text-adventure and primitive action games on the cassette-based TRS80. From there he graduated to the glory days of Sierra Online adventures and Microprose sims, ran a local BBS, learned how to build PCs, and developed a longtime love of RPGs, immersive sims, and shooters. He started writing video game news for The Escapist in 2007 and somehow managed to avoid getting fired until he joined the famous PC Gamer community in 2014. He covers all aspects of the industry, from new game announcements and patch notes to legal disputes, Twitch beefs, esports and Henry Cavill. A lot of Henry Cavill.

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