Runescape Players Angry After Jagex Shuts Down HD Mod Two Years in the Making

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Old School RuneScape has been around for a while. The classic game from 2001 has stood the test of time with many fans still considering it one of the best MMORPGs available. While there are many reasons gamers continue to play the game, the graphics probably aren’t one of them. Recently, one fan of the game that was attempting to update the game’s visuals ran into an unexpected hurdle from the developers.

While Jagex, the creator of RuneScape, continues to add new features to Old School RuneScape, one modder known as 117 has been working on a fan project known as Runelite HD. This large-scale visual mod for the game planned to give a new coat of paint to the 2001 title’s outdated visuals. Since the announcement of the project, many fans of the game have been eagerly waiting to try the mod for themselves. Unfortunately, it seems that this will never happen, as Jagex has shut down the project just before release.

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The company informed 117 about the shutdown of the mod and gave a reason for the decision. According to the RuneScape developers, the studio is actively working on creating its own version of HD graphics for the game. Jagex had the following to say about their work on updating the game's graphics: “We look forward to being able to share progress as our own in-house project with Old School’s visuals unfolds.”

117 attempted to make a compromise with the developers. According to the creator, they asked if the Runelite HD mod could go live until Jagex had finished work on its own visual upgrade for the game. Unfortunately for 117, the studio declined the offer. While the Runelite HD mod appears to follow the company’s guidelines for modding, the developer said that it plans to change the regulations in the following week to reflect the decision to shut down the development of third-party visual mods.

This unexpected move from the developers at Jagex has not gone over well with fans of the MMORPG. As a result of this news, a number of in-game protests have been started by members of the community. These include gatherings of players at central locations in the game similar to the sit-in protests seen in World of Warcraft.

It’s understandable that this move from the developers could incite anger from the community. The creator of the Runelite HD mod had worked on the project for approximately 2,000 hours over roughly 2 years. Old School RuneScape remains a popular MMORPG, but news regarding shutting down fan projects runs the danger of causing players to leave the game. Time will tell if the Jagex ends up releasing its own HD update or altering course to listen to the discontented community instead.

Old School RuneScape is available now on PC and Mobile.

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