Jagex has announced RuneScape Reignited, a fourth RuneScape MMO built in Unreal Engine. The studio also revealed an animated adaptation with Charlie White, known online as MoistCr1TiKaL, but kept release details under wraps.
Jagex has announced two new projects that take Gielinor beyond its familiar setting: RuneScape Reignited, a fourth MMO built in Unreal Engine, and an animated adaptation developed with Charlie White, better known online as MoistCr1TiKaL.
A fourth MMO
Jagex revealed the new RuneScape MMO at the RuneFest 2026 Summit. The project is still in development and is aimed at a new generation of players. Jagex's official RuneScape 2027 Roadmap gives it the name RuneScape Reignited.
The studio has not announced a release date, platform list, or release window. For now, the reveal shows where Jagex wants to go, not when players can expect to get there.
Jagex says it is rebuilding Gielinor from the ground up in Unreal Engine. The studio also wants to keep the depth, player freedom, and community spirit linked to the franchise over its 25-year history. Those goals do not confirm any gameplay systems yet.
The project is still early. Jagex has given players no timetable for its release.
What RuneFest revealed
The announcement came during RuneFest 2026 in Birmingham. More than 6,000 fans attended the event at the NEC. Jagex scheduled RuneFest for 3 and 4 October 2026, called it the biggest RuneFest so far, and said it would be livestreamed through its official channels.
The opening featured a performance by the Manchester Video Game Orchestra, which played RuneScape music. Mod Ash also appeared before Jagex formally presented the new MMO.
Jagex's public preview had already confirmed a live RuneScape Summit on 3 October. The studio planned to use that event to reveal its 2027 roadmap. RuneScape Reignited was therefore one part of a wider RuneFest announcement slate, not a standalone launch event.
Jagex described the game as a way to bring Gielinor to life through current technology and design options. That confirms the engine and the intended audience. It does not say whether the MMO will use action combat, tab targeting, or another system. The size of its world, its progression structure, and its social features are also unknown.
No released footage or playable build was described in the announcement. There is no evidence yet of the final visual quality, performance, or the way Unreal Engine will affect the moment-to-moment experience.
Gielinor beyond games
Jagex is also working on an animated adaptation with Charlie White and the Los Angeles-based production company Lyrical Media. The goal is to bring Gielinor's world, characters, and stories to another format and reach people beyond the games.
The adaptation is at an early stage too. Jagex has not named a platform or announced a release window. Its format, schedule, and connection to the new MMO remain unknown. For now, it is a planned production, not an imminent series.
The partnership brings a long-running game universe together with a prominent online creator. That does not change what is known about the project. Jagex has provided no cast details, episode count, story outline, or production milestones.
The wider RuneFest roadmap
RuneScape Reignited was not the only major game announcement tied to RuneFest 2026. Jagex's official RuneScape 2027 Roadmap says plugins are coming to RuneScape in October. The first plugin beta is scheduled for 6 October 2026. That gives the event a specific follow-up beyond the early MMO reveal.
Jagex also outlined updates for RuneScape: Dragonwilds. According to the game's official Dragonwilds Summit page, a December 2026 update called Luminance will lead into a Blood Crystal Saga arriving in 2027. RuneFest therefore brought several game-specific roadmap updates, rather than focusing only on the new MMO.
The wider franchise gives the expansion some scale. Jagex's corporate press material says RuneScape has welcomed more than 300 million player accounts worldwide. That gives RuneScape Reignited and the animated adaptation a large existing universe and audience to build on.
The questions ahead
The engine change is the clearest signal for RuneScape players. The franchise has long been associated with a classic visual style. An Unreal Engine production would be a major technical and artistic reset.
Whether that reset makes the game easier for new players to approach without losing the systems and freedom that define RuneScape will depend on design choices Jagex has not shown.
The confirmed information is narrow but meaningful. RuneFest 2026 introduced RuneScape Reignited, a fourth RuneScape MMO in development, along with an animated adaptation that is also in development. Both projects are meant to expand Gielinor's reach. Neither has a release date, and neither has provided enough evidence to judge its finished quality.
Unreal Engine is a development framework, not a guarantee of visual quality or performance. It can support modern rendering and large environments. The result will depend on Jagex's design choices, optimisation work, and the hardware targeted by the finished game.
Jagex is making a serious commitment to rebuild RuneScape for a new generation. The announcement does not show that the MMO is close to release. At this point, the important information is the direction, not promises the studio has yet to demonstrate.
