Mod Ryan talks RuneScape Reignited and addresses veterans' concerns

With MTX now dead and buried from RuneScape, Jagex is heralding a new era for the game with RuneScape Reignited.

The new account type is aimed and new and returning players, giving them a separate economy and HiScores untainted by microtransactions.

But while Jagex is undoubtedly looking at this as an opportunity to boost player numbers, the response from RuneScape veterans has been rather the opposite, with a chorus of boos ringing out during the RuneScape Q&A at RuneFest.

With so much vitriol aimed towards Reignited, and some misinformation going around, we spoke with associate creative director Ryan Philpott – Mod Ryan – for some clarity.

If you are, for example, an existing RuneScape player, will you be able to play RuneScape Reignited on the same account you already have, or will you have to have a new, separate account to play?

"So, you won't be able to play on the same character. You'll need [a separate account], if you want to get involved in Reignited as an active player – it's a new character to take into this world, similar to making a new character like an Ironman or something of that nature."

And are there any plans for it to, later down the line, merge with the Legacy Worlds and have both player bases playing in the same way?

"Just some clarity on that. On release, they will be able to play in the same worlds next to each other, same way that an Ironman can play next to a Hardcore Ironman and a Group Ironman. You'll be able to play next to a Reignited character.

"There will be Reignited Worlds where, if you want that experience where you want to play and only see, for example, people that are a similar level, that's an option there.

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"Since the [announcement], we're working with the community to talk about what does the future look like for it. I think it's one of those where we just want to see how it unfolds.

"We want to, really at this point in time, really focus on the moment itself and see how many new and returning players want to come and play RuneScape."

There's been a lot of talk from the position of veteran players who feel that Reignited is aimed maybe too much at newer players, and they're feeling a bit left behind or that this is going to kill the game for them. I wanted to know what your response to that is.

"To make it clear, veteran characters – absolutely, all their progress is always there. We're not resetting anything. Nothing's being taken away. RuneScape is very much about progression and permanence of account.

"And then, what does that look like in the longer term? In terms of every bit of content we release [being] available to everyone, they're not separate content streams. If a new boss comes out, it's available to every player.

"From a Reignited front, I think the moment is so important in December for putting RuneScape – I keep using the phrase putting RuneScape back on the map. That if you're an active player and you want to reach out to some of your friends, whether they've played RuneScape before, whether they're new or returning, if they want to come back on an existing character and just keep playing, great."

"There are so many options here, and I think that, you know that cultural moment when everyone's talking about RuneScape like, 'I want that, I want to get in on that'? I think that's where we don't mind – we're open to how you want to come and play. It's really up to you.

"But we think that this is a really perfect time in our journey, 25 years in the making, to open those gates and essentially let a flood of people who've never heard about us, or have long since heard about us to return."

One thing that maybe has been lost in the messaging was the idea that these are two fully separate worlds and ecosystems, and that if you're an existing player and your friends come in, you won't be able to play alongside each other. Just to confirm, you can spend time in the same world, you just won't be able to trade, for example?

"Exactly that, yeah. You'll be able to play alongside each other whether you've got your 20-year veteran account and new Reignited friend that's joined. But over time, we've talked about what sort of restrictions do we want to, say, lift.

"With Ironman, just as a great example, when that was released, because of the HiScores and the race and the availability, it was quite restrictive in the sense of Ironman could PvM with other players.

"But then, over time, we build and we said OK we'll remove that restriction. You can PvM with each other because ultimately RuneScape, the way I would like to state it, is one community, you know?

"We are all playing the same game. We're all loving the same world. Whether you choose to trade or choose to play the Ironman route, that's up to you. Molly (Mod Luma) might like to buy everything on the Grand Exchange, you know? It depends on how you want to play it.

"But ultimately, we're all playing the same game we love. One community."

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