‘RuneScape’ Developer Jagex Forms Third-Party Publishing Initiative

“RuneScape” developer and publisher Jagex is introducing a new third-party publishing initiative exclusively for live games at Gamescom next week, it announced on Wednesday.

Jagex Partners will offer publishing and operational services tailored specifically to the needs of third-party studios, it said. Partner studios can also integrate their games with Jagex’s proprietary tech platform and live operations ecosystem, which includes player account management and authentication, monetization, virtual currency management, distribution, hosting, and player insight tools.

Jagex Partners is part of the company’s plan to become the home of what it calls “living games,” online titles with ever-expanding worlds, social features, and evergreen design. Its free-to-play massively multiplayer online role-playing game “RuneScape” first launched in 2001 and has reportedly made $1 billion in lifetime revenue after multiple years of player and subscriber growth. Jagex said it now wants to help other developers who see their own games growing into franchises that attract millions of players and exist for 15+ years.

“With ‘RuneScape’ becoming a $1 billion franchise, Jagex has proven its credentials as a best-in-class living games publisher, running robust live game services at scale, all while nurturing and growing player communities,” said Jagex CEO Phil Mansell. “Jagex is in a position of strength and prosperity and we feel it’s the right time to share that expertise and support other developers in bringing their games to market, assisting them to build and sustain strong communities and evolve their live games into living games.”

Jagex Partners will publish PC, console, and mobile titles in Western games markets and provide access to the Chinese games market via parent company Fu Kong Interactive.

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