Ten years. Many MMOs are lucky to last half that, but RuneScape has been chugging along since 2001. In addition to reaching this impressive anniversary milestone, Jagex recently held a referendum asking players if they want to see the Wilderness and Free Trade return to the free-to-play game. More than 1.2 million votes were cast in just under three weeks, and an overwhelming 91% of players said they wanted these features back in RuneScape. Jagex listened, and they'll be implemented on Feb. 1.

We got the chance to sit down with Lead Designer Mark Ogilvie to reflect on the past decade and the response to the referendum. Keep reading after the jump for his thoughts on the past, present and future of RuneScape!

The players have spoken! Free Trade and the Wilderness will be returning to RuneScape on Feb. 1 after more than 91% of players voted to restore the features to the game. Over 1.2 million votes were cast in just under three weeks. Jagex launched the referendum on Dec. 24 to help celebrate the game's 10th anniversary.

The features were removed from the game in 2007 to combat botting, gold farming and item scamming. Starting Feb. 1, players will once again enjoy unrestricted free trade and the Wilderness will become a dangerous place where players can kill each other for their items.

As Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard puts it, "I firmly believe that the Wilderness represents the ultimate risk versus reward experience in any MMO and the incredible support for the campaign demonstrates that our players agree. It has been fantastic to watch the community mobilise in support of the update and we can now introduce these features certain in the knowledge that they are what our community want."

You can read more about Free Trade and the Wilderness after the jump.

Happy anniversary, RuneScape! The free-to-play MMO turns 10 years old today, and Jagex is celebrating by hosting balloon drop parties throughout the game. All you need to do is follow the clues to find out when and where these events will be held. Players will also be hosting their own parties, and you're invited to join in on the fun. All the details can be found in the official 10th anniversary community thread.

In addition, Lead Designer Mod Mark has shed some light on what players can expect to see in January. Try out the new King of the Dwarves quest while you prepare to face the high-level God Wars boss with level 80 drops. Groups of mid- to high-level adventurers will also want to fight the seasonal Hati wolf to earn some gloves that give double combat XP for 10 hours.

Also, players can still vote on whether they'd like to see the Wilderness and free trade return to the game. The features were removed in 2007 to combat botting, gold farming and item scamming, but Jagex is aware that many players would like to see them reintroduced in RuneScape. Players can vote until Jan. 14, so let your voice be heard!

RuneScape turns 10 years old next month, and Jagex is celebrating by giving away $10,000 every month in 2011! For each day in a given month that your account has membership credit, you'll be given one entry into the drawing. Each month, Jagex will choose 10 winners and give them each $1,000! If you're not currently a member, you can enter for free by mailing in a postcard.

In addition, Jagex is currently asking players to vote on whether they'd like to see the Wilderness and free trade return to the game. The features were removed in 2007 to combat botting, gold farming and item scamming, but Jagex is aware that many players would like to see them reintroduced in RuneScape. Players can vote until Jan. 14, 2011, so let your voice be heard!

In 2008, market research company NPD Group released its first-ever report of online gaming subscriptions, gleaned from its 2007 to 2008 survey of MMO players. The report offered a rare insight into the closely-guarded proprietary statistics that most MMO publishers will never release, as Gamasutra reported in May 2008. Back then, NPD Group estimated that the top five PC MMO subscriptions ranked as follows, in order of market share: World of Warcraft, RuneScape, Lord of the Rings Online, Final Fantasy XI and City of Heroes.

Last week NPD Group released its latest report of online gaming subscriptions, based on its January 2010 survey of 19,000 gamers of all ages, according to an analysis at Massively.com. It should come as no surprise to MMO fans that World of Warcraft is still the most-popular title in terms of both subscribership and play time, and Jagex's RuneScape is still holding onto second place. What's interesting, though, is that Turbine's Dungeons & Dragons Online knocked out the ever-popular Guild Wars for third place this year, making it the third-most popular MMO in the United States, according to NPD Group's survey results. The survey also asked participants a variety of questions about their playing habits, indicating that a substantial amount of former WoW players left the MMO for the free-to-play DDO (and that the industry's free-to-play revenue model is gaining popularity over subscription-based MMOs). Check out the full analysis at Massively; it's an interesting read for any MMO fan.

Jagex Games Studio, the team behind RuneScape, confirmed that a UK resident has been arrested for stealing accounts through phishing websites, which tricked players into providing their game logon information. The development team noted that they collalborated with the Police Central e-Crime Unit (PCeU) to facilitate the arrest.

Mark Gerhard, CEO of Jagex, notes that "Account theft and the use of phishing websites is a problem facing the entire online games industry and Jagex maintains a specialist team to combat any law breaking within our games. Where there is any evidence to suggest someone has committed a crime, as is clearly the case with any phishing or hijacking, we work closely with law enforcement agencies around the world to bring these people to account."

Gerhard also informed the media that "just a handful of individuals" are responsible for over 95% of all accounts hijacked in RuneScape. A PCeU spokesperson stated that "People who seek to destroy others online gaming experience could be committing criminal offences, leaving themselves liable to prosecution." Perhaps we will see this level of enforcement coming to other mainstream MMOs, like World of Warcraft? Only time will tell!

Jagex CEO Mark Gerhard has confirmed to GameIndustry.biz that MechScape, the successor to RuneScape, has been cancelled because "it didn't do all of those things that we wanted it to." Gerhard said the decision cost the company tens of millions of pounds, but he emphasized that the company simply wasn't proud of the game. "It's crucial to me we don't just ship a title because we've built it," he said.

Gerhard also stated that many aspects of MechScape, including the engine, will be used in a secret Jagex project. Simon Seefeldt, the company's head of business development, said this week that Jagex's next game is scheduled to launch in 2010.

Jagex Games Studio has announced the latest update to RuneScape, which currently holds the world record as the most popular free online game. The newest Achievement Diary lets you explore the Ardougne area as you attempt to complete various tasks for a "sneaky" reward. Many of the tasks were inspired by player suggestions.

Duel Tournaments have undergone an overhaul to improve the mechanics of the mini-game. To speed things up, players will automatically be assigned to a single registrar based on combat level and other factors. Also, the entrant who places second in a tournament will earn 20% of the entry fees.

The RuneScape team has also made some other changes and fixes to the game, such as making health bars only turn red when a player or monster had zero hitpoints. You can read all of the changes after the jump.

According to a Boston Globe article, Paltalk Holdings has filed a patent infringement lawsuit against Turbine, Sony Corp., Activision Blizzard, NCsoft and Jagex. Paltalk claims the data-sharing technologies used in MMOs like World of Warcraft, Lord of the Rings Online, Everquest, Guild Wars and Runescape violates two patents that Paltalk purchased from a company called HearMe in 2002. The patents cover technologies for sharing data among connected computers so all users see the same digital environment.

Some readers may think Paltalk has no chance of winning this lawsuit. However, Microsoft settled with Paltalk in 2006 by paying an undisclosed sum after Paltalk sued the industry giant for violating these same patent rights in Halo multiplayer features. As the article states, "Microsoft has conceded the validity of Paltalk's patents, making it tougher for Turbine and the other defendants in the current lawsuit to challenge them."

MMO Portal has put together its 2009 MMO Calendar featuring autographed artwork from numerous games. The list includes Age of Conan, DC Universe Online, Dofus, EVE Online, EverQuest II, Free Realms, Guild Wars, Pirates of the Burning Sea, RuneScape, The Agency, Warhammer Online and World of Warcraft.

All of the proceeds go directly to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, which treats children with cancer and other catastrophic diseases.

Also, everyone who purchases a calendar will be entered to win one of 10 prizes for each game, including boxed copies, premium accounts, 30- and 60-day passes, closed beta accounts and more. More information can be found here.