RuneScape dev Jagex says sale is possible, but not set in stone

RuneScape developer Jagex has countered reports that its parent company has sold its shares in the studio, noting in a statement to GamesIndustry that the situation is “evolving.”

Jagex director of communications Rich Eddy tells the publication that, despite a sale being one of “various possible outcomes,” the game development studio as a whole has seen five years of record growth and “has never been in better shape.”

The Chinese company Fukong Interactive picked up Jagex for $230 million back in 2016, but 2019 has seen multiple rumors and reports that the company is looking towards a potential sale as one way to alleviate its own debt issues.

The Chinese publication Yicai Global reported that Fukong released a statement late last month about a deal that would see it sell Jagex for $530 million, but the studio itself says a sale is still only one of the possible outcomes of Fukong’s current situation.

"Fukong's regulatory statement earlier this year acknowledged that the company was looking to restructure its debt, which has resulted in recent announcements regarding a potential sale, however this remains one of various possible outcomes and is an evolving situation,” Eddy tells GamesIndustry.