Jagex in the News

[Dr Brad]

http://www.develop-online.net/news/4515 ... of-layoffs

Jagex set for new round of layoffs
22 August

RuneScape developer undergoing review of player support functions

Jagex is set for a new round of layoffs after entering a period of consultation with a number of its player support teams.
A source connected to the matter told Develop a "“decent number of people” in support roles had been laid off from the company.
In a statement, a Jagex spokesperson said there had not yet been any redundancies.
The company is however currently undertaking a 30 day consultation with a number of UK-based support teams. The spokesperson was unable to provide further comment on the matter at this time.
"“We can confirm that we are currently undergoing a review of our player support function,” read the statement.
"“As part of this review, we are undertaking a 30 day consultation with a number of the UK-based support team. As this consultation is ongoing we are unable to comment further at this time.”
Last month Jagex laid off ten employees working on what it called new and experimental projects, which it felt did not warrant further investment.
Prior to that, the Cambridge-based developer had cut 13 staff from its Transformers Universe development team.

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Source: http://www.develop-online.net/news/4528 ... -one-month

RuneScape 3 pulls in 300k players in first month
Today

Jagex also claims 100,000 former players have re-activated their account

RuneScape 3 has racked up over 300,000 new players since launching only one month ago.
The fantasy MMO, created by UK studio Jagex, allows players to forge their own gaming experience and shape the world around them.
Over the past 30 days the game has had more than 300,000 new players start adventure and over 100,000 former players re-activate their accounts.
In total, these new, existing and returning players have seen on average 600,000 hours of gameplay being played per day – which is the equivalent of 68 years of gameplay taking place daily.
RuneScape 3 launched on July 22nd with the Battle of Lumbridge; an event which spans two months centred around the conflict between two of the gods who have returned to RuneScape.
Players have been pledging their allegiance to these gods and have already participated in a battle, killing over 60 million enemy soldiers.
"“With the Battle of Lumbridge we have given the players new ways to shape RuneScape and place their permanent mark on the world.” said Phil Mansell, RuneScape executive producer.
"“We've seen over a 150 million votes cast on how the battle campaign should evolve, with players making decision on everything from what kind of reinforcements they get to how they believe they can best support their chosen god with buffs and new units. Players have so many ways to shape the current raging battle, from killing their enemies or donating hard earned resources to their chosen deity, and it is this player driven dynamic which puts the future of the game very firmly in the players' hands.”
Jagex will continue to add content to the game, giving its community something new to try and to master every week. A new quest, The Death of Chivalry, along with a new skill, Divination.
Mark Gerhard CEO Jagex said: "“We are delighted to see the growth in the main game, RuneScape 3 has been the result of the tireless efforts of the development team and the positive reaction from the community, since its launch, shows how aligned they are with the community spirit and sentiment. This is the first step in allowing players to truly create their own adventure within the game and we're really excited about seeing how the game evolves through their participation.”

[Tamal]

:S Thanks for posting.

Here's hoping that's just the first 300k.