KEY POINTS

  • The "RuneLite HD" mod was taken down over a dispute between Jagex and the mod's author
  • Jagex is reportedly working on its own graphical improvement project for "RuneScape"
  • The mod took over 2,000 hours to develop, its creator says

Fans are furious after Jagex, the developer of the wildly popular MMO “RuneScape,” took down a fan-made mod just hours before it was supposed to be released.

“RuneLite HD” is a fan-made mod for the titular “RuneLite,” a community-made open-source client for the classic version “RuneScape.” The goal of the project was to remake the visuals of “Old School RuneScape” (or simply “OSRS”) to match a more modern standard.

The mod’s sole author, a user by the name of 117, claimed that Jagex demanded that they stop working on the mod and cancel its release, Kotaku reported. “RuneLite HD” was scheduled to go live shortly before Jagex made its demand.

RuneScape is a classic MMO that changed much after its first release over a decade ago
RuneScape is a classic MMO that changed much after its first release over a decade ago Jagex

“RuneLite HD’s” sudden cancellation sparked outrage within the “RuneScape” community. Players staged in-game protests to challenge Jagex’s decision in support of 117, who reportedly spent over 2,000 hours working on the mod over the course of two years.

Jagex’s move to cancel “RuneLite HD” was seen as cruel by players who have been waiting for the mod’s release. Meanwhile, “RuneLite” developer adam1210 said on Reddit that Jagex’s takedown of the HD mod was confusing as there were other HD mods available for the “RuneLite” client.

“We’ve had this 117-HD plugin ready to be released on the plugin hub for weeks now. Upon receiving this information, Jagex was very opposed to it, which I found rather confusing considering there are existing HD clients that are actually released and working,” Adam wrote.

“RuneLite HD” was reportedly well within Jagex’s community modding guidelines, according to PC Gamer, but the developers were supposedly planning on updating said guidelines in such a way that would retroactively invalidate HD mods like 117’s project.

117 said on Twitter that Jagex was planning to release its own graphical improvement project for the game, but it was still “relatively early in the exploration stages.” He also said that the developers did not contact him despite announcing the “RuneLite HD” project a year and a half ago.

“RuneScape” players hosted in-game sit-in protests in one of the game’s capital cities. Meanwhile, fans on social media called out Jagex for its blatant disregard for two years’ worth of a lone modder’s commitment to making “RuneScape” a more enjoyable experience.

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