Jagex announces RS4, a fourth RuneScape game built with Unreal Engine

RS4 announced as a standalone MMO

Jagex announced RS4 during RuneFest, its annual RuneScape convention. The working title refers to the fourth major installment in the RuneScape world, and the game is being developed using Unreal Engine. Jagex says it is designing RS4 to sit alongside RuneScape, Old School RuneScape and RuneScape: Dragonwilds rather than replace them.

The new MMO is set in the same world of Gielinor but takes place in the Sixth Age, years after the events of RuneScape: Dragonwilds. Players will start in Ashenfall, an area first revealed in Dragonwilds, which marked Jagex's expansion into the open-world survival genre.

From expansion to a separate game

RS4 was initially conceived as an expansion for RuneScape: Dragonwilds called Shadows of Ashenfall. The project developed into something more similar to Jagex's previous MMO games, leading the company to pivot and create a standalone game, according to Polygon.

A minute-long trailer accompanying the announcement indicates that players may be able to ride and fight dragons, but it provides few other details about the game. Jagex plans to reveal more about RS4 next year.

Release remains several years away

Jagex has given no indication of when RS4 will be released. The company describes the project as hugely ambitious and says the game is still a few years away.

Jagex also announced a RuneScape animated series being developed by Lyrational Animation in partnership with YouTuber MoistCr1TiKaL. The television project remains in the early stages of development, and Jagex plans to share more details about it next year.