we only want what is best for RuneScape in the long term

We place immense value in our – and your – game’s integrity, feedback from our community, and continually improving the game experience for all, and we have a strong track record of making decisions in this area that we know may be sub-optimal, commercially speaking, but represent our values. For example, we know that directly selling gold, XP or even accounts would generate between 10 to 15 times more revenue than Squeal or Solomon’s Store generates combined. However, we simply won’t do it, because we don’t believe it’s the right thing for the long-term health of the game.

Equally, many of you will know our past initiatives against botting and gold farming cost us millions of players, and certainly tens of millions of dollars. I believe we are one of the few games studios in the world that prizes the integrity of the game and health of our community over commercial returns, but that’s also why we are the only game that has had multiple record-breaking awards for both longevity and global reach. Over the past 18 months, we have ploughed the majority of our revenue back into the game to guarantee its future over the decade to come. We have literally doubled the size of the RuneScape team, and we are making massive investments in technology and improved support.

This week, you should notice a significant reduction in gold farmer spam. Over the course of the next few weeks, we will not only be launching our most comprehensive and formidable anti-bot update but players will also see a significant upgrade to their accounts’ security to protect against phishing and hijacking. This is called Jagex Account Guardian, and we’re introducing it within the next two weeks.

Our passion and dedication to the game and community has never changed; nor will it. Our determination to make RuneScape the world’s #1 free browser game has not changed either, as some have claimed.The management team and I have the heavy responsibility of ensuring the future of this incredible and unique game. We really appreciate the support and trust you have put in us over the last 5 years. Please know that – although some of our decisions are not necessarily popular – they are 100% driven by the aim of building the strongest possible future for RuneScape. The management team defining the strategy and roadmap today are the exact same passionate gamers that have been at the helm for over half the product’s existence, and we only want what is best for RuneScape in the long term.