Less than six months after angering its group by climbing the value of Runescape, Jagex has performed it once more with a brand new participant survey asking gamers for his or her ideas about some probably very massive adjustments to the sport’s pricing and have set. With these ideas now coming in like cow shit in a hurricane, Jagex has hastened to reassure gamers that the survey “isn’t a listing of deliberate adjustments,” however just a few analysis.
The survey, shared on Reddit, floated quite a few doable membership tiers for Runescape and Old School Runescape, generally each, together with numerous connected options—nearly all of which, as famous by GamesRadar, can be dearer than the present pricing scheme.
And whereas Jagex promised that “any potential adjustments to membership choices won’t impression gameplay equity or the provision of in-game content material,” some proposed adjustments, like a shorter AFK timer, specialised member worlds, the addition of in-game adverts, and mobile-only entry at decrease subscription tiers, sound very very similar to they’d have an effect on gameplay and content material availability.
Some of the proposed membership tiers are actually costly, too. The top-tier plan seen within the survey, which incorporates entry to each Runescape and Old School Runescape, with specialised member worlds, eight member characters, character identify reservations, enhanced participant assist, and a “pause membership possibility,” prices $32.49 per 30 days, or simply over $350 per yr for those who’re keen to pay up yearly.
Specific complaints are diversified and lots of, however the general response to the survey may be summed up by the title of this Reddit thread: “Jagex, you’ve gotten simply fucked up and performed irreparable harm.” That’s fairly robust, nevertheless it does seem to be an correct measure of the temper, even amongst dedicated gamers. “I can shell out $100/yr for successfully the one sport I play. Maybe even $120 for a number of characters,” redditor rippel_effect wrote. “This is predatory as hell, although.”
“I’ve been admittedly defending Jagex on plenty of shit just lately,” iamkira01 added. “I can not defend this. I’m fucking flabbergasted.”
In an replace, Jagex justified the survey as “a part of an extended, multi-step course of the place gamers have been concerned from the very starting,” and stated it contains matters which are “controversial or polarizing” in such surveys as a result of it is a great way to determine how gamers actually really feel about issues.
“Great group administration isn’t nearly listening to what gamers need; it’s additionally about being open to exploring uncomfortable matters in order that we will make knowledgeable, player-driven choices,” Jagex wrote. “Surveys like this enable us to collect suggestions on concepts earlier than they even come near turning into actuality. They act as an necessary safeguard, guaranteeing that something unpopular or misaligned with the group’s values is recognized early.”
With a few of these “unpopular” concepts now very clearly recognized, Jagex stated it has “no plans to incorporate adverts within the base membership or to make ad-supported choices a major a part of the sport,” and that it has “heard loud and clear that sturdy buyer assist is a baseline expectation.” It additionally acknowledged that shorter AFK timers for non-premium gamers is a really unpopular concept, and stated that and different concepts “have been included to grasp participant preferences and weren’t supposed to be concrete plans.”
Which isn’t a assure that this stuff will not occur sooner or later: Regarding paid participant assist, for example, Jagex stated participant suggestions “makes it clear that this could stay a typical a part of membership, and we’re taking that under consideration.”
Despite the reassurances, it appears that evidently some gamers have had sufficient: Some gamers within the subreddit are sharing pictures of account cancellations, whereas Old School Runescape YouTuber FlippingOldcollege posted a video at present predicting the adjustments “would destroy OSRS” if Jagex truly follows by means of on them.
Watch On
For now, Jagex seems to be targeted totally on conserving a lid on issues. “It could not all the time be straightforward, however these conversations are invaluable in serving to us make choices that profit the long-term well being of Old School RuneScape,” the studio wrote. “We’ll preserve you up to date as we transfer ahead.”
