Jagex developing fourth RuneScape game built on Unreal Engine

Game studio Jagex has confirmed it is building a fourth major entry in the RuneScape series, currently going by the working title RS4, using Unreal Engine as its foundation. The announcement came during RuneFest, the company's annual fan convention, accompanied by a short teaser trailer.

The roughly minute-long clip doesn't reveal extensive gameplay details, though it does show players apparently able to ride and battle dragons. RS4 will join Jagex's existing lineup of RuneScape titles, which already includes the original RuneScape, Old School RuneScape, and RuneScape: Dragonwilds.

Jagex emphasized that the new game isn't intended to replace any of its predecessors. Instead, the studio described RS4 as being designed to exist alongside the other titles as another way for players to experience the world of Gielinor. The story will take place within the same universe but set in the Sixth Age, years after the events depicted in Dragonwilds. Players will begin their journey in the Ashenfall region, an area first introduced in Dragonwilds, Jagex's earlier expansion into the open-world survival genre.

According to Polygon, RS4 actually began life as a planned expansion for Dragonwilds under the name Shadows of Ashenfall. However, as development progressed, the project evolved into something closer to Jagex's traditional MMO formula, prompting the team to pivot and turn it into a standalone game instead.

No release window has been set. Jagex described RS4 as a hugely ambitious undertaking, noting the game remains a few years from launch, with further details promised sometime next year.

In the meantime, Jagex also used RuneFest to announce a RuneScape animated series, currently being produced by Lyrical Animation in partnership with YouTuber MoistCr1TiKaL. That project remains in its early development stages, with more information also expected next year.