A RuneScape Open-World Survival Game is in the Works

August 11, 2022

Written by Ella Rebecca Horton

Ella Rebecca has been in love with the horror genre since an early age. The Bride of Frankenstein began her love of the classics and she's been writing and collecting since.

Will you survive to thrive or live to die?

 

Jagex is allegedly planning an open-world survival game as part of the RuneScape franchise. Soon, RS
players will find something to do other than farming RS3 gold or OSRS gold. Here’s everything we know
about this upcoming game.

 

The Source

The company announced outright that they are working on an open-world survival game. They’ll use the
The unreal 5 engine and the game’s setting are in the same universe as RuneScape. The developers are
planning to reach a wider audience through consoles and desktop PCs. That statement suggests that this
new game would come out in the current generation of PS4/5, Xbox, and Nintendo Switch consoles.
Aside from those, Jagex has opened up new positions for new hires. Among those reported to be
accepted, two are former Ubisoft employees. One took a senior producer role and has formerly worked
on Watch Dogs Legion and Rainbow Six Extraction. The other is credited for Assassin’s Creed and Ghost
Recon and will be the principal technical artist.

 

That’s everything in this game so far. The developers have announced no other details and no release
date estimates.

 

The Genre

To properly speculate about the possible mechanics of this game, you should understand the genre first.
The survival genre of video games includes quite a variety of works. There are two kinds:
● Survival (PvE)
● Battle Royales (PvP)

 

The first is straight-up survival. Your character has to brave the elements, build or find a shelter, then
figure out a source of food and water. They then have to survive for as long as possible or at least until
they complete the main objective. Often, that’s to find a way home by building something or finding a
secret about the location.

 

Usually, these games leave the player alone. They can’t rely on friends to help them or scout ahead.
Sometimes concessions are made and give the main character an animal companion. Those aren’t
competent humans who can problem solve on the fly, but they help the player avatar survive. However,
some games allow for a cooperative mode where a group can work together.

 

Some mechanics are more challenging in a co-op game for balance. Aside from an increased need for
food, supplies would be a bit more scarce as their demand has multiplied. It’s a different experience
than when you’re alone, more manageable in some aspects but more complex in others.
Examples of this kind of game are:

 

● Don’t Starve (and its Together version)
● Minecraft
● Project Zomboid
● No Man’s Sky
● Valheim
● ARK: Survival Evolved

 

ARK may have PvP elements, but it’s a survival game at its core. Battle Royales have a clear objective to
outlast all other participants. While some servers may have that kind of mechanic, that’s something
players added themselves and not the original intention of the developers.

 

You should be familiar with the category, as Fortnite, Apex Legends, and PUBG are still popular games.
Here, players are’ as hard-pressed to survive the elements. Instead, they have to survive encounters
with other players. The main objective is to beat them all and be the last one standing. That’s the brand
of survival in this kind of game.

 

Other games in this category are:
● Call of Duty: Warzone
● Fall Guys: Ultimate Knockout
● Battlefield V's Firestorm mode

 

Minecraft can technically fall into this category due to the creative freedom it gives to players. Some had
recreated classic battle royale mechanics into their servers, which count. Now that begs the question,
which kind will this RuneScape survival game be?

 

The Speculation

PUBG popularized battle royales. The game was based on a mod of Day Z. It remains so today, but after
Fortnite's meteoric impact on the gaming world, many clones wanted to bandwagon it. The more
successful ones are the ones mentioned above.

 

It’s the more likely option, as this category is more popular. Rounds usually end in a few minutes, while
games in the other group can last for days. This gameplay works well for those with less time to play. It's
also a benefit with the portable consoles and mobile since it’s easier to pause after a short round.
The above may be likelier, but an actual survival game isn’t far off either. The main reason is the
Ironman mode. In some aspects, that's already a RuneScape-themed survival mode. They have to be the
ones to supply their own needs, after all. The restriction on trading makes them live off the land.
It’s not a complete survival mode since players can trade with NPCs. Still, the foundation is there, and
it’s only a step to creating an open-world survival game.

 

There’s also the option that it will be something new or have a twist with the usual mechanics. Open-
world survival is too vague to figure out anything specific, so we can only wait for more details.

 

Enjoy OSRS and RuneScape 3!

Since all we have is an announcement, there’s nothing we can do. We' re not the developers who could
work on the game, so it releases faster. Also, creators don’t like being rushed into making things. It
makes them forget steps and demotivates them to continue their work. The result ends up a hurried
affair that satisfies neither creator nor consumer.

 

Be patient, and it will come. It will take years since making a game is no walk in the park. Then there’s
testing and feedback before the release. After that, you can finally play it. That's still far in the future, so
for now, have fun playing any version of Runescape and earning RS3 or OSRS GP.

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