Runescape has generated over $800m in revenue since 2001 launch

Speaking at Develop: Brighton, Phil Mansell – the CEO of Jagex – revealed that Runescape has generated more than $800m (£605m) over the game’s 17 year life.

The MMO has also racked up over 250m player accounts and despite its age, Mansell claims that the game’s user base is still consistently growing.

Why is the game still seeing success? Mansell thinks it’s because of Jagex’s consistent support for the game. It fits. The Runescape I played myself on winter evenings as a 16 year old is a million miles from where the game is at now, with several new iterations of the game improving the graphics, gameplay and even the underlying engine. This, coupled with the team’s support of its community: via interactions on the forums, social media and in-game, but also with the support of their popular Deadman Invitational battle royale event, has ensured the game’s success in a competitive market that has slowly

“We realised players might come for the game,” said Mansell. “But they’re staying for the community.”