Runescape is still coming to Unreal Engine 5, 'Dragonwilds' title filed by Jagex

Fans of the long-running MMORPG RuneScape will be both intrigued and surprised to learn that an open-world survival iteration of the game is in the works - powered by next-gen Unreal Engine 5. A recent trademark filing suggests Jagex is leaning toward the name RuneScape: Dragonwilds, and the project is presumably still in development.

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Credit: Zant (Fan-remake)

The first hints of RuneScape: Dragonwilds surfaced in 2022 when Jagex initially announced the existence of the open-world survival project. In October 2024, the studio put out an official call for closed testers. Beyond confirming it as a survival game set in the RuneScape universe, little else has been officially revealed. Job listings on Jagex's website hinted at a "rich, immersive world" with "large and complex areas," but details on gameplay and release timing remain speculative.

The closest existing comparison to a RuneScape-style survival game is Valheim, which launched in early access in February 2021. Still progressing toward an official release, Valheim draws inspiration from RuneScape, Zelda, and Minecraft, incorporating mechanics like mining, woodcutting, crafting, and skill progression systems. Jagex has already dabbled in the survival genre, having published SCUM in 2018 - a survival title that maintains a mostly positive rating on Steam with over 87,000 reviews.

On that basis, it isn't difficult to envision a survival open-world game set in the RuneScape universe. However, in terms of the latest concrete developments - Insider Gaming has reported that an official trademark for Runescape: Dragonwilds has been filed in the UK by Jagex.

Since announcing the project, Jagex has given no indication that development isn't progressing. However, the studio has a history of unveiling ambitious projects and abandoning them before their release. Longtime players may remember MechScape, a sci-fi spin on the genre that was later rebranded as Stellar Dawn before being scrapped entirely. Another example is FunOrb, Jagex's attempt at an arcade-style gaming platform, which was ultimately discontinued. Given this track record, skepticism about the fate of RuneScape: Dragonwilds is warranted until more concrete details emerge.

But as a long-time fan, it would be a pleasure to see Runescape enter the next generation of gaming.

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