As of yesterday, 4 January 2021, RuneScape can pin the 20 years old pin proudly to its shirt and laugh at all those games that have come and gone while it has stood the test of time. The game which made the Massive Multiplayer Online genre a force to be reckoned with has one of the most storied track records in the industry and the fact that people are still player it twenty years later is genuinely wild. Developer Jagex knows that once little, nerdy niche of a game is fortunate to have lasted this long so to say thanks to the playerbase that made it a reality, they’re hosting a “Grand Party” which will run throughout the year and dole out content to anyone who logs in to participate in the event.
Reading from the Jagex’s website, The Grand Party event will serve as a celebration of RuneScape and take players on a multi-stage quest that highlights the history of the game. Players will start in Lumbridge Crater and proceed to complete the quest throughout the year to be rewarded with a “generous helping” of area buffs and collectable in-game rewards. What these rewards are specifically is as yet unknown (although XP lamps and a 20th anniversary cake are known to be involved) but they’ll most likely be fun memorabilia dedicated players will most certainly get a kick out of.
Perhaps the most interesting parts of Jagex’s blog are the statistics shared about the game. Launched on 4 January, 2001, RuneScape has been played “non-stop” for 7,306 days, hosts around 300 million player accounts and, despite it’s age, has never been more popular. In 2020, RuneScape pulling over 1.2 million new subscribers alongside many others that joined the game for free. It’s an impressive display of consistency and perseverance and honestly, a game like RuneScape surviving 20 whole years is exceptionally cool. Many happy returns!
Last Updated: January 5, 2021
