Jagex cancels RuneScape Reignited less than two weeks after it was announced, due to 'overwhelming' player feedback

RuneScape: Reignited, a shiny new version of the long-running British MMORPG, has been canceled less than two weeks after its launch. Read more

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RuneScape: Reignited, a shiny new version of the long-running British MMORPG, has been canceled less than two weeks after its launch.

RuneScape Reignited - a big reveal during RuneFest earlier this month - was supposed to be a game mode that allowed players to start new characters with a separate player-economy from regular RuneScape accounts, meaning they could only buy and sell items between themselves. Activated accounts are also prohibited from encountering bosses with regular RuneScape accounts. This was an attempt to attract new players to the game. However, it was immediately met with strong feedback from longtime RuneScape players.

Jagex announced the cancellation of RuneScape: Reignited in both a blog post and a YouTube video, in which creative director Mad Ryan explained why the sudden turnaround occurred: “We got a lot of different opinions from all of you, and we really appreciate everyone sharing their opinions.

This is very important to us because the last time we didn't listen to player feedback, combat changed forever. And it has taken us over a decade to recover from it. Now I said on stage that we will not repeat the mistakes of the past and I really stand by it. Due to this issue, we have decided to cancel Reignited."

The question on the minds of RuneScape regulars is: Why was the feedback against Reignited so strong? The main reasons come down to player division and Reignited's potential to alienate loyal players.

Due to the entirely separate game economy of Reignited characters from existing RuneScape accounts, and given their fresh nature, they could have been an obvious way for newcomers to the MMO. As such, the community would be split in two, and non-Reignited accounts would be deprived of the new blood that could have kept it healthy and active for months and years to come.

There was no option to transfer an old RuneScape account to a Reignited one, so for seasoned players who wanted to jump into this exciting new version of RuneScape, they had to throw away years of progress and potential memories to do so and wipe out their old accounts. We're talking thousands of hours and piles of cash here.

However, it's worth noting that Jagex did this for a reason. RuneScape's in-game economy has been bloated for some time now, and due to the huge prices, the process of creating a new character and progressing to the end of the game has become a daunting process. For example, a Bond (exchangeable for a month of premium membership) sells for 11.2 million coins in Old School RuneScape. In normal RuneScape, bonds sell for 141.3 million coins.

Activated Accounts - for all their flaws - solved this problem, providing an easy on-ramp for those curious to check out the game. With the cancellation of Reignited, this problem remains, leaving Jagex with the same obstacle it faced a month ago, with only an extra bruise or two.

Fortunately for Jagex, RuneScape: Reignited wasn't the only RuneFest reveal, and as Ryan continued, RuneScape is getting an Adventure Guide update and other additions and a free trial in December. In more exciting news, RuneScape 4, a brand new MMO, was also revealed at the show.