Namely, while Runescape may have received new builds and tech updates over the years, much of its community isn’t that eager to start playing an all-new experience after sticking with the original for so long. The developer, Jagex, has supported this part of the community too, it’s worth pointing out, but one of the issues that have come up recently is that the studio didn’t have a proper backup system in place back in the day.
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While there aren’t many games from the 2000s with active communities to choose from, Runescape is surely one of the most prolific entries in this niche. With no backups in sight and a growing need to keep legacy files safe for future reference, some Runescape community members are now asking gamers at large to check if any of their 2005-era hard drives and disks have a copy of the game still kicking around. Reddit user Hlwys has posted that they even have a specialized search tool that streamlines the process as much as possible, and the good news is that some users have already supplied some of these files by now.
According to Hlwys, Jagex only ever had two full legacy builds of Runescape: one from 2003, and another from 2007, as it hadn’t kept any full backups until 2012. The ongoing efforts refer specifically to the 2005 build of the game, however, which would be a huge boon for Hlwys’ efforts to keep some of the original files around for those who may wish to see what one of the best free-to-play MMORPGs of all time had looked like back in the day.
Of course, Jagex is still adding key features to Old School Runescape, underlining the fact that this version of the game is every bit as relevant today as it was over a decade ago. While much of the game has stayed the same over the years, compatibility and quality-of-life updates are still being delivered at a relatively stable pace. The community efforts to find old game builds aren’t likely to assist in this respect, but they would certainly help chronicle the ancient title’s history of development for times to come.
In other related news, Jagex recently trademarked Eldergate, though it’s still unclear what, exactly, this IP may refer to. Sure enough, it’s supposed to be “video game software” of some sort, but it’s within reason that the developer is working on an all-new, non-Runescape project behind the curtains. As with most such news, of course, only time will tell.
Old School Runescape is currently available on PC, Mac, Android, and IOS.
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