A Deluxe Edition will also be available
London (March 16, 2021), In partnership with leading publisher Dark Horse Books, Jagex today announced that RuneScape: The First 20 Years—An Illustrated History will be published Autumn 2021 as an official companion tome to the game; giving players an exclusive look behind-the-scenes at the iconic online fantasy RPG as it celebrates its 20th anniversary. A deluxe edition is also available exclusively on the RuneScape Merch Store for diehard fans that want something extra.
In 2001, gamers first arrived in RuneScape’s new online world of medieval fantasy. Two decades on, it has become one of the world’s longest-running online games and a global success story having welcomed almost 300 million player accounts.
Now the history and art of that world has been charted in RuneScape: The First 20 Years. It explores the detailed tapestry of RuneScape and its sister-title Old School RuneScape through exclusive interviews with the games’ designers and developers and hundreds of full-color illustrations, spanning the entire 20 years of its celebrated history.
Phil Mansell, Jagex CEO, said:
“I am delighted Jagex is teaming up with Dark Horse, an illustrious company that shares our passion for delivering high-quality creative storytelling. 20 years of RuneScape is a massive milestone for Jagex and our games, and I thank our community for being on this incredible journey with us. RuneScape: The First 20 Years will provide our players with a unique insight into the story of the past two decades and a chance to explore RuneScape’s fantasy world of Gielinor like never before.”
RuneScape: The First 20 Years arrives in comic shops and bookstores October 5, 2021, and is available for pre-order now through Amazon, Barnes and Noble, and your local comic shops and bookstores for $39.99.
RuneScape: The First 20 Years (Deluxe Edition) features a special variant cover, card slipcase, hard backed folio containing art prints, gold edged pages and page marker and can be pre-ordered now exclusively from the RuneScape Merch Store priced $99.99.
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Press Contact:
Jagex Games Studio
Laura Durrant laura.durrant@jagex.com
Rich Eddy rich.eddy@jagex.com
Dark Horse Comics
Kate Jay, PR and Social Media Coordinator
Anthony Mauro, PR Coordinator
About Dark Horse Comics
Founded in 1986 by Mike Richardson, Dark Horse Comics is an excellent example of how integrity and innovation can help broaden a unique storytelling medium and transform a company with humble beginnings into an industry giant. Under a new partnership with Vanguard Visionary Associates, Dark Horse is positioned to further expand its reach globally with publishing, products, and filmed entertainment. Over the years, Dark Horse has published the work of creative legends such as Yoshitaka Amano, Margaret Atwood, Paul Chadwick, Geof Darrow, Will Eisner, Neil Gaiman, Dave Gibbons, Faith Erin Hicks, Kazuo Koike, Matt Kindt, Jeff Lemire, Mike Mignola, Frank Miller, Moebius, Chuck Palahniuk, Wendy Pini, and Gerard Way. In addition, Dark Horse has a long tradition of establishing exciting new creative talent throughout all of its divisions. The company has also set the industry standard for quality licensed comics, graphic novels, collectibles, and art books, including Stranger Things, Avatar: The Last Airbender, The Legend of Korra, Predator, Minecraft, The Legend of Zelda, Super Mario, Dragon Age, James Cameron’s Avatar, Game of Thrones, Mass Effect, StarCraft, The Witcher, and Halo. Today, Dark Horse Comics is one of the world’s leading entertainment publishers.
About RuneScape
Twenty years in the making and acclaimed by PC Gamer as “one of the most endearing and unique MMOs available”, RuneScape is an ever-expanding, living game that’s bursting with activity and life. Set in a medieval fantasy land, begin by creating a character and then embark on epic journeys through a vast sandbox world that’s full of gods, warring races, unexplored dungeons, and glittering riches.
Propelled by the game’s narrative, choose your own path through enthralling quests, and progress through 28 diverse skills to shape a single character in a classless world. RuneScape Mobile Early Access is now available for RuneScape members on Android, featuring cross-platform play between mobile and desktop editions, enabling players to seamlessly jump between devices and take their adventure anywhere. In RuneScape, you get to be the hero you always wanted to be and, with new content added almost every week, there’s always a new and adventurous experience to look forward to. Become the hero you were born to be at www.runescape.com.
About Jagex
A leader in creating deep and engaging live games on PC and mobile, Jagex’s flagship MMORPG, RuneScape, has welcomed almost 300 million player accounts to its world and is a $1bn lifetime revenue franchise. Today the RuneScape franchise exists beyond running games in live operations; our titles are living games that connect and inspire millions of players, with content and experiences both inside and outside of inexhaustible game worlds. Both RuneScape and Old School RuneScape, on PC and mobile, offer ever-evolving, highly active worlds and our community-focussed development ethos empowers players to have a real say in how each game is shaped. Now we’re expanding and extending our portfolio with fresh franchise titles and new IP to bring life to the living games of the future. Jagex employs more than 450 people at its Cambridge headquarters. Career information can be found at www.jagex.com