RuneScape Has Changed a Lot in 25 Years & Here’s What the OSRS Director Has to Say About It (Interview)

The original, web-based version of RuneScape first released back in 2001. Since then, the long-running MMORPG has undergone a number of changes. So many, in fact, that fans longed to return to the game’s olden days. That’s what inspired Jagex to launch Old School RuneScape, a separate game based on the 2007-era build of the original RuneScape. Somehow, even Old School RuneScape is now over 10 years old. And while the core identity of the game remains the same by design, OSRS remains popular in part because Jagex keeps it fresh while centering what players want.

Recently, I had the opportunity to attend the first-ever live OSRS Deadman All Stars event in Chicago. While there, I got to see the RuneScape community in action while cheering the Dino Nuggets to victory. But I also had a chance to sit down with Kieren Charles, the Creative Director for Old School RuneScape. From our conversation, it’s clear that the key reason OSRS is bigger than ever is the unique relationship Jagex has with its players. This lets the team keep that familiar feel while still evolving the MMORPG with new features and content.

Player-Driven Development Helps Keep Old School RuneScape On the Right Track

Earlier this year, Old School RuneScape hit a new concurrent player peak of over 261,000 players. For a long-running MMORPG whose origins go back 25 years, that’s pretty impressive. But keeping that energy up is a big challenge, particularly with a game that exists entirely because players were irritated with too many changes to the original. Naturally, I had to ask creative director Kieren Charles how Jagex balances that desire to keep it old school with the need to add new content.

“Familiarity is key,” Mod Kieren explained. “If you log in as a new character and [the game] is a totally different place than what you’re familiar with if you’ve played back in the day, we’re gonna break something fundamental. It’s called Old School RuneScape, and it has to feel like what it says on the tin in that regard.”

On top of that, new content only arrives if players really want it. “We’re community-driven development. We want to be the best in the world at that,” Kieren told me. “When we want to add something new to the game or make a change to something in the game… we basically pitch it [to players], and then they vote. So the community kind of protects us from messing it up in a way.”

This back and forth fosters a unique relationship between Jagex and its fanbase. Seeing OSRS players meet the Jagex mods in person, I can attest to the fact that there’s a genuine respect and familiarity there. And that’s essential. As Kieren puts it, “The players knowing we’re human, I think, adds an air of understanding to when you get things wrong. And we’ll never be perfect.” But because that communication is genuinely there, OSRS fans trust Jagex to make things right. And that goes a long way in retaining and growing a player base for an MMORPG like OSRS.

The Biggest Change to Old School RuneScape Over Time is Its Players

OSRS has added plenty of new items, quests, and more over the course of its lifetime. But when asked what has changed the most in OSRS history, Kieren said, “The players themselves more than the game. The community’s mindset shifts as people change, people age, and so on.” Specifically, “people are a lot more sensible of where they put their time when they play now. Back in 2007, there were times where it was just a chat room… now, people are a lot more efficient with their time. They don’t want to waste a minute.”

In light of the evolving player base, Jagex has to be sure to respect player time. This means avoiding fluff and making sure new updates don’t cancel out the work players have put into their accounts. Along with the community votes that help Jagex avoid a misstep with an unwanted update, there’s a sense of respecting the work that goes into a 10+ year-old MMO.

“We never undermine your achievements of the past, and we never replace it with future stuff,” Mod Kieren explained. “We don’t release something new tomorrow that means [previous achievements] are now irrelevant. When you’re putting os many hours into a game, you don’t want to feel like in the future it’s worthless.”

Because of this model, players are still invested in players they’ve been working on since the early days of OSRS. And that carries over into the real-life relationships they’ve built, too. You could see it in the crowd at the Deadman All Stars event, and it didn’t escape the Jagex team’s notice any more than it did mine.

“You see it here, how many people know each other. They’ve met friends here that they’ve known online but never met in person. People are bringing kids that they’ve had with partners that they’ve met on RuneScape, and they’re here today.” RuneScape is a part of players’ lives just like it’s a part of the developers, and that makes the game much more than just a game.

Ironically, the PvP Content that Gave Us Deadman All Stars Is One of RuneScape’s Hardest Sells

Deadman All Stars is an evolution of Old School RuneScape‘s PvP mode, Deadman. The creator-led initiative first dreamt up by Solo Mission has become a massive esports event in its own right. The size of the crowd at the event in Chicago proved it, officially making it the biggest in-person event in RuneScape history. So it was pretty funny that one of the toughest types of content Jagex pitches to players is anything PvP.

“Player versus player content’s quite tough,” Kieren told me. “Because there’s kind of a loser in PvP content. Someone’s going to die by another player’s hands, so it’s a lot more controversial to get those right.” So, many of the Jagex pitches that have failed player votes over the years have centered on this kind of competitive content. But ultimately, that’s okay, because having that give and take “keeps the community at the center of everything.”

Clearly, the PvP content that did pass the player vote has been a success. Deadman mode turned out to be not only entertaining for players but perfect for streamers, too. No doubt, the investment in watching creators duke it out in tournaments like All Stars has helped keep bringing new fans to OSRS.

What’s Next for Old School RuneScape in 2026

Of course, I couldn’t sit down with OSRS‘s Creative Director and not ask him about what’s next for the game. Given the player-driven nature of it, the gist of what’s to come in the Blood Moon Rises update on June 30th won’t be a surprise. But it’s clear the team is excited about what’s in store. When I asked him what he’s most excited for players to see, Mod Kieren’s enthusiasm was on full display.

“Oh, it’s gonna be so good. I wish I could like, scream to all the players I’m talking to and tell them all about it, but obviously I can’t because it’s gonna spoil it for them. But yeah, it’s a finale, and we don’t do too many finales… The big thing with this one is it’s much more cinematic, and we don’t really do cinematic stuff.”

One of the big evolutions in tech, apparently, is that OSRS can finally pan the camera to build cutscenes, 25 years later. “Mod Ed, the principal narrative designer who’s been working on this quest, has done some amazing stuff with it. There’s one major cut scene in this quest that every time I see it, I’m like, it’s so good.”

So clearly, OSRS will want to be ready for the Blood Moon Rises update, because it’s bringing a new cinematic flair to the MMORPG. And it comes just ahead of another major update later this year, which will introduce a new player-designed island, a new quest, and much more. Between the growing playerbase and continued, careful updates to keep the retro feel while adding fresh content for players, it’s clear why OSRS is still going strong 25 years after RuneScape‘s debut.

Did you play RuneScape back in the day? Are you still an active player? Leave a comment below and join the conversation now in the ComicBook Forum!

I Went to RuneScape’s First US Event, and It Made Me an Esports Fan