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Jagex Unveils Chronicle for Loyal Players

VentureBeat

Jagex is taking a page from rival Blizzard Entertainment’s playbook by launching a collectible card fantasy game, Chronicle: RuneScape Legends.

Cambridge, England-based Jagex operates a huge free-to-play massively multiplayer role-playing game, RuneScape, which has more than 200 million players. But Blizzard’s Hearthstone: Heroes of Warcraft has become a giant hit, sucking a lot of players out of rival games. Just like the lighter Hearthstone complements the deeper World of Warcraft, the new card game will be more like bite-sized entertainment for fans who like the RuneScape universe.

Jagex said it will launch Chronicle: RuneScape Legends (a working title) in 2015 on the PC, Mac, tablet, and mobile platforms. The collectible card game is set in the fantasy world of Gielinor, and it focuses on quest building. Players will be able to craft their own miniature role-playing games against enemies, including classic RuneScape boss monsters, before entering into player-versus-player combat.

Jagex revealed the game at RuneFest, which is taking place today at London’s Tobacco Dock. James Sweatman, lead designer of Chronicle: RuneScape Legends, is hosting the unveiling of the game at RuneFest.

In a statement, he said, “We’ve been quietly developing Chronicle: RuneScape Legends since the start of the year to ensure that it’s not only a fun and compelling player experience, but one still very much interwoven into the rich lore of RuneScape. We’re looking forward to sharing more information on the game over the coming months, especially in regards to Chronicle’s debut on tablet and mobile!”

“RuneScape has been the foundation for Jagex’s success for more than 13 years, and it’s exciting to broaden the brand’s appeal with the compelling quest building gameplay offered by Chronicle,” said Phil Mansell, vice president of RuneScape, in a statement, “Chronicle: RuneScape Legends represents an important step for Jagex as we add a new game into the RuneScape family. This announcement tops a strong 2014 where our flagship title has continued to thrive.”

Jagex was founded in 2001, and it has published more than 40 titles to date. RuneScape is still its biggest with millions of players.

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