Jagex, the studio behind and developer of the RuneScape mmorpg, confirms that it has been acquired by Chinese investors!
Jagex employs more than 320 people at its headquarters in Cambridge, England. The purchase of the studio will create a new company dedicated to video games. Jagex will be able to experience a new round of investments to carry out the evolution projects of RuneScape and its extensions. To consolidate the company's presence in the video game industry, mergers and acquisitions opportunities are currently being studied.
"Having visibility in China, which is now the largest market in the world, is a great opportunity for this new entity. This is a compelling and attractive proposition for Western companies looking to expand their reach in a growing region. This will allow them to tap into a talent pool to design and develop content for Chinese consumers as well as engage and expand the global community." explains Rod Cousens, CEO of Jagex.
"Jagex will continue to be led by the current team, the same team that has overseen impressive performance in recent times and pushed its iconic license, RuneScape, towards continued growth. This acquisition does not change the way the company operates, for players or employees. »
The agreement was entered into by Lisa Pan and Thomas Song on behalf of the incoming shareholders and they will be appointed to the management of Jagex.
Recall that RuneScape, the mmorpg of Jagex, celebrates its 15th anniversary. It is one of the major successes of the video game world. No less than 245 million players from all over the world have played the game and several million log in every month. This year, RuneScape, introduced NXT, its brand new proprietary and client graphics engine and will reveal a new continent in the game, during the summer. RuneScape is also viewed by millions of Internet users via social networks, it is also one of the ten most viewed games on Twitch.
Old School RuneScape, the retro incarnation of RuneScape, is also experiencing accelerated growth thanks to its impact in the eSports community. The Deadman Tournament, held and streamed during Insomnia 57 (i57 ), was the first time an mmorpg was so successful with an eSports audience and attracted the second highest audience on Twitch at that time.
The RuneScape license also extends to other titles, with Chronicle: RuneScape Legends and the upcoming expansion RuneScape: Idle Adventures.
