RuneScape Passes 1 Million Subscribers

An anonymous reader writes "The online Java-based fantasy MMOG Runescape has reportedly surpassed 1 Million paying subscribers. Gamasutra has a Q&A article with the Jagex co-founder and lead developer Andrew Gower about the UK-based firm's success. 'Counting roughly 4.6 million who play the free version of the game, RuneScape has more than 5.6 million players, says Constant Tedder, managing director of Jagex. As such, it represents credible competition to the big kahuna, World of Warcraft, which has topped 8 million paying subscribers. Part of the secret, Tedder said in an interview, is that the game doesn't take itself so seriously. In one recent event, players could transform themselves into penguins and infiltrate the penguin army to see what they were up to in the penguin underworld. The game has been growing largely by word of mouth.'"

Comments

*THE* grind

[Deltaspectre]

This game will never be competition to the World, mainly because it's very grind focused. Sure there are quests, but only 100 or so when I was still playing (and at that all but 20 or so were for members only). These quests might get you a few levels if you're lucky and low level, but the majority of leveling is from the grind unlike the World where you get some actual levels from quests and there are a ton of quests.

Re:*THE* grind

[Hubbell]

Are you trying to say World of Grindcraft isn't grind focused?

Times sure do change...

[Amani576]

The fact that I've recently started playing again doesn't help this...
After a three year abscence... It's changed a lot, and the people are worse... and far more immature...
But, if you get past the immature players, and look for the people like me, who've played for quite a long time (2001 started my first character - Which I still play - Domon Kashu [Yes, after the G-Gundam character]) the game can still be enjoyable.
But regardless...
I was amazed the other day when I realized that total there was over 100k people playing at the same time... when, back like... four years ago the most you'd see during prime hours was like... 13k...
Goes to show you how time's change... and how games, no matter how cheesy, campy, or awesome (maybe in this case) stick around because people like it...
Say what you want... Runescape is a train that probably won't ever stop (at least for a while).
GR

Re:Outlaw Penguins

[khedron the jester]

All I could think of when reading this was "1M Subscribers... and 10M bots/grinders".

Seriously, the number of Chinese people either using bots to grind or doing it manually, then selling the gold they make for real world money, is ridiculous. At times my brother (who's about the right age to play the game) has seen swarms of level 3 players chopping down wood for money. You start at level 3, so basically these people have accounts simply to chop wood, not to train up.

The problem has got to the point where Jagex are banning 8000 people a day.

Here's a release from Jagex, the company behind Runescape, about it: http://news.runescape.com/newsitem.ws?id=785

That reminds me...

[tiedyejeremy]

I haven't logged in for over a month!