by theygamesDespite having increased Runescape membership prices in September last year, it appears that Jagex may be looking for new ways to shake up its subscription tiers, prices, and benefits, judging by a new survey sent out to Runescape players. Fans of both Old School Runescape and the modernized version of the MMO have been voicing their concerns online, and many are even canceling their current memberships in protest. Jagex has now issued a lenghty response.
Earlier this week, Jagex announced that a survey would be sent out to random Runescape players that would “explore how players value different membership features and combinations.” Based on screenshots shared by supposed recipients, the survey includes various pitches for features and new subscription tiers, and is designed to gauge initial interest. Over the last 24 hours or so, the contents of that survey have been spilling out onto forums and social media, and it’s safe to say that fans of the MMORPG are extremely unhappy with some of the ideas that the survey contains.
Players have raised issues with the ideas in the survey. The first major issue for players is a proposal to split memberships that would only apply to Old School Runescape or Runescape 3 (the current version of the game) rather than both games, like memberships do now.
Some more pricey subscriptions would still include both experiences, but in screenshots shared by players, there was the suggested option of a basic one-month membership for $10.99 that would only apply to just one of the two games – for comparison, the current price for a basic, one-month subscription is $13.99 and covers both OSR and R3.
On top of this, some variations of the survey applied limitations to this basic tier, such as the addition of ads, shorter AFK timers, or only giving you access to the game on mobile devices.
Some other elements pitched in the survey that have incensed players include “enhanced player support” that would let you get support updates that were more personalized to your case, “additional account security features,” and getting better stats, data, and tools with advanced API access.
This post on r/runescape by ‘NotAnAI3000’ is the most comprehensive look at what you might find in one of these surveys.
It should be stressed that these are not confirmed changes that will definitely hit the game. In a post announcing the new survey, Jagex says: “This is not a single proposal or finalised plan. Instead, the study tests many different combinations of features to help us understand what our players value. The features you see are part of this randomised experimental test, meaning they’re not final, and what’s shown will vary for each player. Additionally, just because a feature is included in the survey doesn’t mean it will necessarily be implemented in the future.”
However, that’s not stopped the outpouring of displeasure from Runescape fans (take one look at r/runescape or r/2007scape and you’ll see what I mean) and some are even posting screenshots of canceled memberships.
Following the backlash, Jagex has now updated its original blog post about the survey with further clarification and assurances that this is not a “list of planned changes.”
“One of the reasons we include controversial or polarising topics in surveys is because they provide valuable insights into what players truly like, dislike, and feel strongly about,” it says. “Great community management isn’t just about listening to what players want; it’s also about being open to exploring uncomfortable topics so that we can make informed, player-driven decisions. Surveys like this allow us to gather feedback on ideas before they even come close to becoming reality. They act as an important safeguard, ensuring that anything unpopular or misaligned with the community’s values is identified early.”
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