RuneScape will launch on mobile phones in June 2021. This is a major project for Jagex. While lesser modern versions of the game with OSRS Fire Cape, such as Old School RuneScape already exist on mobile, this will be the first time that the core title will be a portable. According to Jagex the mobile version is at about five years in the making, and thus marks an enormous achievement for the twenty-year-old MMO. The game is renowned for its customizing menus and a variety of menus on a tiny screen was no simple task and required a major engine overhaul to the MMO. The Mobile version heavily relies upon gesture-based controls.
According to the developers that have created these input gestures can make ports for consoles like Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch possible. Interview with RSgoldfast, RuneScape Product Director Matt Casey and Senior Product Manager Liam Powney talked about how the mobile control scheme could be an ideal candidate for the Nintendo Switch port. Following previous releases on Mac and Steam The upcoming mobile version will be the first official foray into other platforms.
The two Powney and Casey commented on the development process for mobile games and what the game could be in store for the game. Unexpectedly, it required many hours of work to condense a massive MMO to a tiny screen on a mobile device which is why players could get to be able to reuse the work in a handheld console release in the future, specifically when a console has touchscreen controls.
Making a game large enough for the handheld device such as the phone isn't easy. Even with the most powerful devices such as the Switch ports for big games often fail. One prime example is The Outer Worlds. The Switch port of The Outer Worlds was notorious and highlighted the dangers of not ensuring the optimal performance of the game for a particular platform.
With a five-year development time, the mobile version appears to be on a more positive path. The instant-to-moment gameplay of RuneScape is controlled by the ability of a player to navigate through various menus and actions. When playing on a computer, this is fairly simple because players can arrange the menus, actions and options wherever they'd like on their screens.Powney explained the way Jagex converted the MMO into mobile-friendly touch controls. The true "magnum opus" of the mobile port was the process of determining the gesture controls. "When it comes to fighting our mobile port, we've ensured on mobile, you have access to many actions bars." The menus are accessible by swiping the finger it's a great method of condensing a complicated control system to mobile devices. For consoles that have control and gesture support the ability to control RuneScape port is easier to imagine.
Casey was looking at this new method of controlling as an aspect of the game's future that is cross-platform. "It's strange," he said, considering that despite 20 years of being played on desktops, "RuneScape is a game that you'd like to be able to access anywhere, regardless of what you're doing or engaging in." The team's goal for the future of RuneScape is to create an extensive multi-platform MMO.
The work being done on the interface for touch screens on smartphones devices means should the game get its way onto consoles that Nintendo Switch Nintendo Switch would be a ideal first option. Casey expressed his appreciation for how the game's mobile version opened the way to platforms such as the Switch.
"We're looking at different possibilities, including aspects that can be used to great advantage. There are certain issues for Xbox and PlayStation to Buy OSRS Fire Cape with regards to control. However, there are other options like the Switch with touchscreen, we've already done some preliminary work. Therefore, it's logical for us to begin investigating these areas too."