There are a number of titles that cemented their name in the gaming industry history books, and even were a major part of some of the older generation's love for video games, including the likes of Dungeons & Dragons, Super Mario, and Runescape. The latter's developer experienced a change of ownership, following Fukong Interactive's hinting towards selling some of their assets back in 2019, with Jagex put as a potential option.
Macarthur Fortune Holding, a global asset management company interested in diving to the world of video games, acquired Runescape's developer Jagex for $530 million. The company plans on investing heavily into Jagex's marketing and R&D operations to leverage the historic MMORPG's experience. Macarthur was able to accumulate the needed amount for the acquisition through Platinum Fortune, one of the company's main fund sources.
There is no denying the title is enjoying one of its best years since release, which is hard to imagine considering how long it has been around. The studio reported an all-time high number of subscribers earlier in January, with over 1.1 Million people paying to play Runescape. Jagex CEO Phil Mansell shared his thoughts on the announcement, and expressed his excitement to wok under Macarther Fortune. He continued to discuss how their investments will help the studio enhance their strategic plans for Runescape, and deliver more memorable experiences for their playerbase.
The combined strength of Macarthur Fortune and Jagex will both support and enhance our strategic plan to deliver great gaming experiences to our communities of RuneScape players and build on our portfolio with more living games for a global audience.
What will be next for Jagex and its iconic MMORPG, Runescape? Do you think this will change the direction the studio had in mind for the title? Let us know your thoughts on the acquisition and what it means to Runescape in the comments section down below.
