Platform holders blocked Runescape cross-console play

Speaking at the recent Edinburgh Interactive conference, Gerhard said Microsoft, Sony and Nintendo were each opposed to the idea of Runescape players interacting across rival platforms.

Some console owners wanted us to charge five Euros for Runescape. What? It would be crazy to charge for Runescape on consoles,” he began. "But Sony was ahead of the game, they said they get it. They understand free. But all three said, ‘okay, but, we won’t let our console play online with any other’".

The Jagex executive appeared to be in vehement opposition to the proposals, according to his account. "They said, ‘we cannot let the Microsoft community play with the Sony community’. Okay fine then, we said, we just won’t do it.

We’re not going to frame [as in, segregate] our community into boxes just for a few million more customers. Of course I’d love a few million more customers, but I just wouldn’t do it. Not at the expense of fracturing it, because you almost become the disease you’re trying to solve.”

Develop has all the details.