06/26/2013
[This unedited press release is made available courtesy of Gamasutra and its partnership with notable game PR-related resource GamesPress.]
Cambridge, UK – 26 th June 2013: Jagex, the UK's largest independent games developer, today filed its annual results for the period January to December 2012. Jagex, who now employ in excess of 550 staff at their Cambridge headquarters, saw turnover rise above £50 million for the first time in the studio’s history, making it the company’s most successful year to date.
Buoyed by the continued growth in popularity of the studio’s flagship title, RuneScape, which saw tens of millions of new players enter the game for the first time during 2012, coupled with the release for two new titles, Ace of Spades and Carnage Racing, the company has gone from strength to strength. As in previous year, the vast majority of profits have been re-invested into Jagex’s development projects which have allowed the RuneScape development team to double in size as well as underwriting the development costs of other new projects.
The continued health of RuneScape, which has been powered primarily through the release of significant new content updates as well as the introduction of additional, optional monetisation features, contributed towards a strong year. Headline updates, such as the Evolution of Combat and the launch of Old School RuneScape have been particularly well received. “2012 was a pivotal year for Jagex and today’s figures are a real testament to the whole Jagex team who have continued to over perform year after year,” commented Mark Gerhard, CEO at Jagex.
“Jagex’s success is a result of our community driven development focus. We have a unique approach to development at Jagex and continue to strive to make RuneScape the most player influenced game in the world, ensuring our player’s get the content they want, when and where they want it. This ethos has paid dividends and has helped to position Jagex at the forefront of the UK development scene. Ultimately it is the support of our players that allow us to continue to be successful, and we look to continue to.”
Looking ahead to 2013 and beyond, Gerhard continued, “2013 is set to be an even bigger year for Jagex as we release the biggest update in RuneScape’s history, launch Transformers Universe and publish a number of new titles.”
Riaan Hodgson, Jagex COO provided further insight saying, "Our results for 2012 are hugely encouraging, especially in the face of a difficult financial climate, which has seen many games developers closing their doors or making significant layoffs. Jagex, in contrast, has continued to expand both in headcount and in our games portfolio. 2012 has seen us evolve into a real leader in digital publishing and development."
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