RuneScape heads to Brazil, as Jagex expands

RuneScape is to be localised for Brazil, as its UK-based maker, Jagex, begins to expand into emerging markets.

Jagex’s popular free-to-play MMO adventure game has already been localised into French, German and Brazilian-Portuguese, but the game’s UK-based developer now plans to step-up its focus by “aggressively marketing” the game to the Brazilian gamers.

By expanding its footprint within the territory, Jagex – which today announced its most successful year to date – aims to capitalise on the current appetite for adventure games and ensure that RuneScape is the MMO of choice throughout Brazil and the wider South American continent.

To start the promotion of RuneScape in Brazil, Jagex has signed an exclusive co-marketing deal with UOL, Brazil’s largest internet service provider. UOL, has grown to become the leading ISP in Latin America, boasts the largest audience in the Portuguese speaking world and will be publishing the game on Jagex’s behalf.

Brazilian players will have the same experience as those in the rest of the world, but will benefit from local language support and community management provided by the UOL team.

“International expansion has always been a key focus for Jagex and has largely been going on at a community level from the ground up without overt marketing,” said David Solari, CMO at Jagex.

“We are now in a position where we have an excellent offering, which we believe is perfect for the South American market. To ensure we capitalise on this opportunity, we have selected UOL as our primary partner to give the game the support it deserves.

“We have been developing RuneScape for over 12 years and know what it takes to create truly compelling experiences for players thirsty for a richer game experience. We have worked hard to fully localize the game for the Brazilian market to ensure we are in a position to offer a fully rounded service from dedicated community support to integrated billing.”

Jagex said its been attracted to the region because of opportunities for online games publishers in Brazil. According to a recent Newzoo report, the Brazilian games market is growing at a frantic pace, with more than 35 million Brazilians categorising themselves as active gamers, 47 per cent of gamers regularly spending money on new games, and more than 85 per cent of Brazilian gamers playing games online.

Of most significance to the MMO maker is the growth area highlighted in the report is online adventure games, favoured by 88 per cent of Brazilian gamers.

Last year, Develop spoke to several studios and game makers in Brazil about the games market in their country.