Leading UK video game studio Jagex, developer and publisher of the award winning RuneScape franchise, has announced its seventh successive year of growth – with revenue reaching £124.86million for 2021. This growth was fuelled by its flagship franchise RuneScape reaching its highest ever number of paying members, cementing the significant gains made during the coronavirus pandemic.
Phil Mansell, Jagex CEO, said: “Thanks to the enduring popularity of the RuneScape franchise and the dedication of our player communities, we’ve been able to again grow revenues and reach the highest paying member count yet. This has only been possible through the hard work and ingenuity of our team, who were able to adapt to the on-going impact of the Covid-19 pandemic. The focus on our players allowed us to consolidate and build on the growth from 2020, with creative content and innovative features to encourage our loyal gaming communities to engage for the long term. This growth is testament to our community-driven approach, delivered by such dedicated teams, and meant RuneScape’s 20th anniversary year was its most successful ever.”
Alongside commercial success, some of the key milestones reached in 2021 were:
- Jagex was acquired by The Carlyle Group in January.
- RuneScape celebrated its 20th year of continuous operation since its launch in 2001.
- The RuneScape Franchise reached a new all-time membership high.
- RuneScape Mobile officially launched on iOS and Android.
- The company raised over £138,000 for its charity partners and received the MCV IRL award for the best Lockdown Mental Health Support Initiatives.
Mansell continued: “Since our acquisition by The Carlyle Group at the beginning of 2021, they have been hugely supportive of our long-term plans to grow the Jagex group and of our vision to be a leader in community-driven games. Their support combined with our continued revenue growth has allowed us to make big moves in the gaming space in 2022 – such as our recent acquisition of Pipeworks Studios – and celebrate significant milestones like reaching over 300 million accounts created for the RuneScape franchise.”
“We are excited for the future as we expand our offering in the games industry through our team at Pipeworks Studios, and through our third-party publishing arm – Jagex Partners. We expect to see significant continued growth through the expansion of our current portfolio of community-driven games, and the development of as-of-yet unannounced titles that we can’t wait to reveal in the near future.”
