With all the changes Jagex is implementing in RuneScape, they’re taking a look at the game’s various membership models – particularly the Premier model. Although the game is free to play, it offers players the opportunity to purchase subscriptions at different levels and receive various benefits based on these subscriptions. With all the changes they’ve made to the game recently, they’ve realized that some of the existing subscription benefits no longer make sense. That’s why they’ve outlined their plans for customization in a post on the MMORPG website.

According to the postOne of those changes will be the closure of the loyalty business, which, as they put it, “has been in a strange position for many years.” The team has concluded that continued retention drains resources from the game. Adicionalmente, the loyalty system limits content over time and they want to stay away from that. Auras will also be removed, so there is no reason to continue operating the store and it will be closed in April. Cosmetics from the store will be moved to the free monthly Marketplace drop cycles.

Another change is that players no longer have to buy into boss instances. This will not be an immediate change. The post states that it will be “later this year.” In addition, VIP worlds will be accessible to all members. The hope is to reduce the divide in the player base and give everyone the opportunity to get to know more players. Monthly drops and premier tokens will also be removed.

That doesn’t mean Premier is going away completely, although it will be renamed “12-month membership.” The post further explains what players will receive for their continued subscription. In November they will add more new cosmetic items to the annual cosmetic refresh. The 12-month memberships continue to include several months of free membership value and 100 banking spaces.