Mad Otter Games Rebuke Jagex Over Runescape Mobile Claims

If you have any interest in the MMO market, you’ve probably heard Jagex’s plans to bring its MMORPG, RuneScape, to mobile platforms. But the claims that the developer is making about the game has raised some eyebrows and led one company to publicly dispute the claims. 

Phil Mansell, COO of Jagex, wrote in a press release:

“The RuneScape titles will become the first mainstream and established Western MMORPGs on mobile in full, and the first to deliver interoperable play between PC and mobile platforms.”

But there seems to be a problem with this terminology, mostly with its lack of specifics. Terms like “Western” or “mainstream” are easier to confirm, but what makes something established? Existing for a year? Two years?

The only reason this really matters is because there has been another established Western MMORPG that made the jump to mobile before RuneScape — a game from Mad Otter called Villagers and Heroes. And as such, the developer has come forward to contest some of the claims Jagex is putting forward.

Villagers and Heroes launched in 2011, then later introduced its players to interoperable mobile play in October 25, 2016. So technically, this was the first instance of interoperable play for a mobile MMO on the current market — and it came a full nine months before Jagex dropped this announcement for RuneScape.

Villagers and Heroes claims to be “the largest and most immersive Western MMORPG” available on mobile. It allows players to craft, fight, and quest in a massively multiplayer environment from their Android devices. It will soon be launching its next expansion, Starfall. 

So far, there has been no response from Jagex about the veracity of its original claims. Stay tuned for more information!

What do you think? Is RuneScape really the first established Western MMORPG to deliver cross-platform play, or has Villagers and Heroes beat it to the punch? Let me know down in the comments!