I like the game. However, the current owners of the game appear to be pushing for a more hostile monetization model. Nothing more than a survey has come of it so far, but the very fact that it suggested (among other things) ads that even paying subscribers may be subjected to is alarming.

An official apology has been given, and the CEO of Jagex has promised that most of what was suggested will not come to be[secure.runescape.com] - but only most of it:
"While we may explore ads in Free-to-Play (F2P) as a concept in the future, there are no plans for this currently, and we will tread carefully, considering all feedback."
This alone is a very grim omen, and it must not become reality.


I can only hope that the situation blows over without anything coming of this. If (hopefully when) that day comes, I will remove my negative review. Until then, I can not recommend supporting the game.

While you can still play the game in its entirety without giving real money, I would advise that you also do not buy bonds with in-game gold, since that would give them greater value, and buyers of bonds being able to redeem them for larger amounts of in-game gold might entice potential buyers.



EDIT: I just noticed another questionable point:
"AFK Timers

• Similarly, this was originally included in context of a lower cost membership option, but we will not be reducing AFK timers for any paid membership.

"
I don't know if reduced AFK timers for non-members were ever proposed in the first place, but I am worried by the fact that Mod Pips felt the need to specify that they won't be applied to "any paid membership" - implying that maybe the free-to-play part of the game will suffer them, too.