RuneScape Classic (also known as RSC, RS1 or RS Classic) was the first official release of RuneScape (DeviousMUD being the precursor). RuneScape Classic was publicly released on 4 January 2001. It was later replaced on 29 March 2004, with what was then known as RuneScape 2. On 23 May 2018, Jagex announced that RuneScape Classic would be permanently closing on 6 August 2018 due to numerous unfixable problems with the game.
RuneScape Classic is the original version of Jagex's browser-based MMORPG, opened to the public on January 4, 2001. Players controlled a customizable 2D avatar in a low-poly fantasy world centered on skill training, quests, and PvP.
No, Jagex permanently shut down all RuneScape Classic servers on August 6, 2018 after 17 years of operation. The studio cited unfixable bugs, rampant botting, and the inability to support the legacy code as the reasons for the closure.
Jagex announced the shutdown in May 2018, citing the increasing risk of game-breaking bugs and a flood of bots and macro users that the small Classic codebase could no longer hold back. The team felt continuing to support it was no longer sustainable.
Classic used a 2D sprite engine with simpler combat and skill mechanics, while RuneScape 2 (released March 29, 2004) rebuilt the game in 3D with new animations and combat systems. Old School RuneScape, launched in 2013, is closer in spirit to Classic but is based on the 2007 RS2 client, not the original Classic engine.
RuneScape Classic had both a free tier and a paid members tier, with the members expansion launching in February 2002. After the game closed to new accounts, only longtime RuneScape members could log into Classic during its final years.
RuneScape Classic was developed and operated by Jagex, the British studio founded by brothers Andrew and Paul Gower. It evolved out of Andrew Gower's earlier project DeviousMUD and grew into one of the longest-running MMORPGs in history.
