Jagex has announced that it will remove the Treasure Hunter monetization mechanic from RuneScape by January 19, 2026.
Last month, British developer launched a community vote to “decide the future of RuneScape microtransactions”including removing the Treasure Hunter daily activity.
More than 120,000 members voted to get rid of the feature, exceeding the 100,000 vote threshold.
Introduced in 2014, Treasure Hunter allowed players to win prizes that provided experience boosts, skippable items, and in-game gold.
Users could obtain a limited number of keys for free, but additional keys could be purchased through the game's general microtransaction offerings.
This feature will now be removed from the game, along with 225 direct XP and skill-related items, as well as those that “disrupt the core gameplay and player economy, including purchasable sources of direct experience.”
Jagex CEO John Bellamy also noted LinkedIn that “encounter-based game mechanics” and “daily login incentives” will also be removed from the game.
“The removal of Treasure Hunter is just part of a broader transformation at Jagex, where we see a renewed commitment to delivering greater value, greater fairness and long-term improvements for players across all of our games,” Bellamy said.
“We've all been excited to see the enthusiasm and support players have expressed in voting for RuneScape, and over the next year we'll be delivering an integrity roadmap that addresses some of the game's biggest issues, along with one of our best content roadmaps in RuneScape history.”
Last month we spoke with Bellamy about his vision for the studio after being appointed CEO earlier this yearas well as his stance on microtransactions.
“For RuneScape, bringing back some of the integrity that we may have lost over the last decade or so is about more than just monetization; it's visual integrity as well as gameplay integrity,” he explained.
“These experiments do address the monetization aspect, but there is still over a year of work to be announced and work still to be done to strengthen the integrity of visual gameplay and monetization.”
