RuneScape 4 Announced: Jagex's New Unreal Engine MMO Starts Somewhere New, Not Lumbridge

Jagex has just announced RuneScape 4, a brand new RuneScape MMO built in Unreal Engine, and where it starts is not what anyone expected. It does not open in Lumbridge or Varrock. It opens in the land mass players discovered in Jagex's spinoff game.

RuneScape 4 was the One More Thing at RuneFest

This was the One More Thing at RuneFest. The working title is RuneScape 4 because it is Jagex's fourth generation RuneScape project, and Jagex says that name could still change. The game is set in Gielinor.

Where RuneScape 4 starts tells me the spinoff was the setup

Here is the twist. RuneScape 4 takes place years after the spinoff, after the dragon queen was destroyed, and it begins in that new land mass rather than in Lumbridge or Varrock.

That tells me that the spinoff was never just a spinoff. It was actually the setup.

Jagex says RuneScape 4 is not replacing Old School, RS3 or its spinoff

Before anyone panics, Jagex made one thing really clear. Their exact quote was: "RS4 is not a replacement for any of our games."

Old School, RS3 and the spinoff all keep their own teams. Jagex also says that integrity and permanent progression are core to the design of RuneScape 4.

RuneScape 4 is still a few years away, with no platforms or combat reveal yet

Now, here is the catch. Jagex says RuneScape 4 is still a few years away. There are no platforms announced, there are no membership details, and there has been no combat reveal yet.

In my opinion, I think we are going to get gameplay in 2027, with the launch in 2029 at the earliest.

So be honest: if RuneScape 4 dropped tomorrow, would you actually leave Old School RuneScape for it, or is nothing ever going to pry you off that grind?