RuneScape
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Jagex CEO Jon Bellamy, who was appointed in March, recently posted on the developer’s internal message board that the 2025 Pride Month celebrations in RuneScape and Old School RuneScape have been cancelled.
For years, Jagex has run Pride Month events and LGBTQ+ charity drives, even hosting in-game marches. So, when the announcement was made that 2025’s celebrations had been cancelled, there was backlash from within the studio. Developers argued that the work had already been done and wouldn’t take much to implement, refuting Bellamy’s claim that the decision was made so that they could instead focus on «what players wanted.» Some devs even volunteered to finish the work in their own time, but were denied the chance.
In response, Bellamy hosted a Q&A session with staff, answering many of their complaints. He argued that the decision was made to «ensure the business is protected against those that would wish us harm».
«I own it, I’m fully responsible for it,» Bellamy said (as reported by PinkNews). «I understand that RuneScape is precious because it is a safe space, it is an escape from reality, and the reality that we find ourselves in is changing. It is getting stranger, more troubling, less moral, I would argue. Games and studios are being cancelled because of content that is perceived to be ‘woke’ or representative. The pendulum is swinging back in a way we didn’t expect.»
Tales Of Pride Will Return, But Without Any New Content
While Old School RuneScape’s annual Pride mini-quest has been cancelled for 2025, Tales of Pride will return in RuneScape — it just won’t have any new content.
The recurring event, which has featured in the game every year since 2022, tasks you with collecting tales from LGBTQ+ characters across Gielinor to earn several cosmetics, including the Proud title. However, with no new additions, it will be the same as it was last year, with the same rewards.
Zenimax similarly came under fire from The Elder Scrolls Online community for allegedly doing «nothing» to combat anti-LGBTQ+ bigotry.
«The content is now controversial in a way it didn’t used to be, and that controversy now brings more risk than it did previously, risk that I’m personally responsible to protect against,» Bellamy explained of the decision.
Developers Called On Management To Keep Pride Events Last Month
In May, several developers within Jagex penned a letter to management, calling on them to «make a commitment that Pride will continue to be an annual seasonal event in both Old School and RuneScape.» One week later, the executive team responded.
«As a studio, we must stay grounded in the mission we all share, and that’s making great games for players,» the response reads. «Our job is not to use the game as an outlet for our own views, but to craft worlds that serve our players, offering immersion, escape, and meaning. That responsibility asks each of us to apply good judgment and to make creative decisions that resonate across a wide and diverse community — and that’s what we’ve tried to do here.»
Despite the lack of Pride celebrations this year, Jagex is permitting marches, and one was held on June 9 earlier this week.
Pride Month 2025
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