RuneScape is getting rid of its Treasure Hunter microtransactions after players strongly voted to remove them. Game developer Jagex says this marks the start of a “new era” for the game.
Jagex CEO Jon Bellamy, also known as Mod North to players, announced in a video that Treasure Hunter will be removed on January 19, 2026, following community feedback.
As a player, I’ve noticed they’ve added this ‘Treasure Hunter’ feature where we get daily keys to open boxes with rewards like XP and gold. You can earn a few keys each day just by playing, but you can also buy more with real money. Honestly, it’s a bit frustrating because over 120,000 of us have actually voted to get rid of this system, along with other ways the game tries to get you to spend extra money.
But that’s only the beginning of Jagex’s changes. On the same day Treasure Hunter is removed, they’ll also be drastically cutting back on microtransactions that affect gameplay. This includes things like buying items that instantly boost your experience, as well as other similar items such as Proteans and Dummies, according to North.
According to North, January 19th marks a fresh beginning for RuneScape, driven by a collective hope for the game’s continued success for many years.
Jagex plans to share a detailed plan next year to improve the game, focusing on things like how it looks and feels, and how easy it is to use. They’ll release more information about these improvements on January 19th.
The removal of Treasure Hunter is something players have been anticipating for a while. Back in June, Jagex’s CEO, Phil Bellamy, explained in a video that the way Treasure Hunter worked was negatively impacting RuneScape and that changes were needed. Jagex then tried out several different adjustments to how in-game purchases functioned. In September, Bellamy admitted in an interview that these changes would likely result in lower revenue compared to what they were currently making.
Bellamy acknowledged the difficulty, but added that some immediate challenges might be worthwhile if it meant rebuilding the game for the long term – over the next 10, 15, or even 25 years.
Jagex’s decision to let players vote on removing Treasure Hunter is consistent with how they manage Old School RuneScape, which doesn’t rely as heavily on microtransactions. Old School RuneScape, launched in 2013 as a recreation of the 2007 version of the game, is actually more popular now than the current version, RuneScape 3. Any new content for Old School RuneScape requires approval from at least 70% of its player base before it can be added.
Old School RuneScape is currently enjoying huge popularity, recently reaching a peak of over 241,000 players online at the same time. The game’s first community-chosen skill, Sailing, will be available to play on November 19th.
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2025-11-13 02:40