Jagex announced at its annual RuneFest convention that the fourth major RuneScape game, tentatively titled RS4, is in development using Unreal Engine. The announcement was accompanied by a short trailer showing dragon riding and combat, though few gameplay details were revealed. Jagex said the project is still a few years away and described it as a hugely ambitious undertaking.
The company stressed that RS4 is not meant to replace existing titles such as RuneScape, Old School RuneScape, and RuneScape: Dragonwilds. Instead, it is designed to sit alongside them as an additional way to experience the world of Gielinor. The game takes place in the Sixth Age, years after the events of Dragonwilds, and players will start in the Ashenfall area introduced in that game.
According to Polygon, RS4 was originally conceived as an expansion to Dragonwilds called Shadows of Ashenfall, but development shifted toward a game more similar to Jagex's past MMOs, leading to the pivot to a standalone title. Alongside the game, Jagex also announced a RuneScape animated series in early development with Lyrical Animation and YouTuber MoistCr1TiKaL, with more details expected next year.