RuneScape Has A Novel Solution To The Microtransactions Players Hate — Rip Them Out

Video games have been grappling with microtransactions for years, with players and developers alike often divided on whether they’re nice, optional extras or a way to squeeze players for extra money while actively diminishing the games they’re part of. Now, one developer is giving players a direct say in the future of microtransactions in its game, as a vote is currently underway over whether massively multiplayer online RPG RuneScape will remove its controversial Treasure Hunter activity.

Treasure Hunter was introduced to the long-running MMORPG in early 2014. It’s a simple feature where players can use keys to unlock treasure chests containing random rewards. Players get some keys for free, with the ability to purchase more with real money or earn them by watching ads. Elsewhere in RuneScape, real money can be used to purchase items that grant bonus experience points or improve character skills. While developer Jagex says these purchases give casual players a power up without the time investment, some players have argued that it’s essentially a pay-to-win system, where players who spend real money have a distinct advantage over those who aren’t.

Players on either side of the issue now have a chance to decide the future of RuneScape. As Jagex announced on October 29, it’s opened a vote on whether to keep Treasure Hunter as it is or remove it entirely. If the vote goes through, more than 200 items available in the cash shop that add character experience and skill levels will also be going away.

“This is part of a wider belief from us — the need to build a stronger foundation for the next era of RuneScape,” Jagex wrote in the announcement. “Over the last few months, we’ve been rethinking how we design, fund, and evolve the game to make sure every decision supports fair, rewarding, and lasting gameplay. This vote represents the first and most major step in restoring that balance.”

While Jagex CEO Jon Bellamy calls the vote “one of the most important moments in RuneScape’s history” in a video accompanying the announcement, in some ways it’s almost an afterthought. Jagex makes it clear that after significant time on its microtransaction strategy, it’s decided that removing most purchasable items is the best step forward for the game.

“We believe in this proposal as an era-defining change for the future of the game,” the studio wrote. “We want this to pass. But as we promised, our last step is to validate any decision with the community.”

And it seems like the studio will get its wish. As of publication, more than 90,000 players have already voted to remove Treasure Hunter and most microtransactions, meaning it’s all but guaranteed that the vote will pass by its November 11 deadline. What that means for RuneScape is that Treasure Hunter and the vast majority of purchasable experience and skill items will be removed, while items that grant a bonus to experience gain will remain, albeit with a cap on how many players can purchase. Paid cosmetic items will also remain in the store.

The idea of letting players decide whether microtransactions will remain is radical on its own, but what’s most remarkable about Jagex’s announcement is how self-reflective it all seems. Rather than corporate-speak attempting to explain why microtransactions are good actually, Jagex’s announcement discusses the situation soberly, repeatedly referencing the “harm” caused by microtransactions and promising “integrity” in how it continues to develop RuneScape.

To that end, if the vote passes, Jagex says it will also unveil an “integrity roadmap” for RuneScape, laying out how it plans to address the biggest problems players have had with the game over the years, from its microtransactions to its new player experience. As part of that, the studio says it will work on ways to revamp progression through RuneScape’s major content, in the hopes that players will no longer feel the need to skip it via microtransactions.