Jagex is tightening the thematic reins on RuneScape’s cosmetic offerings, moving to limit items that clash with the game’s medieval fantasy identity. The studio’s associate director of design, Ryan Philpott, framed the change as part of a wider effort to "put RuneScape back on the map" and said some of the franchise’s stranger cosmetics have become a problem.

Over more than two decades the long-running MMO has accumulated an eclectic wardrobe. Alongside swords, robes and dragonhide have gone novelty outfits, pop-culture nods and other anachronisms — exemplified by the now-infamous sharksuit. Those items have endeared themselves to long-term players, but they have also diluted the game’s visual coherence, according to Jagex.

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Philpott acknowledged the tension between retaining affectionate oddities and building a clearer, more recognisable brand for new and returning players. "It's for the greater good," he said when explaining the studio’s reluctance to keep certain cosmetics that fall far outside RuneScape’s established tone.

The move is a deliberate design choice rather than a simple purge of player expression. Jagex intends to prioritise cosmetics and content that reinforce the game’s lore and aesthetic, while still finding ways to honour community favourites through limited events, legacy systems or curated callbacks.

Design leadership described the policy as an attempt to balance commercial considerations with creative integrity. The studio argues that a stronger, more consistent identity will help RuneScape attract fresh audiences and compete in a crowded MMO market, even if that means retiring a handful of long-standing novelty items.

Community reaction has been mixed. Some players welcome a return to a more coherent fantasy presentation, while others lament the loss of the game’s quirky charm and personalisation options. Content creators and collectors in particular have voiced concern about the fate of rare or celebrated cosmetics.

Jagex’s statement reflects a broader industry trend in which live-service titles refine their visual and narrative identities to maintain relevance. The studio’s approach suggests that future cosmetic drops will be more tightly themed to in-game regions, events and storylines, with less room for wildly anachronistic items.

Reporting on the subject was first published by Rock Paper Shotgun, which highlighted the debate around the sharksuit and other non-fantastical cosmetics as emblematic of Jagex’s new direction.

The change signals a clear intent from Jagex: to recalibrate RuneScape’s presentation around a recognisable fantasy core while attempting to respect the game’s history and community attachments through selective preservation and celebration of legacy items.