Jagex will rerun Pride quests but won’t make new ones — here’s why that matters

Jagex will bring back Tales of Pride – but says no new Pride quests in 2026

This caught my attention because it’s a rare example where a studio is explicitly balancing in-game representation with a corporate argument about “protecting” a live game. Jagex has confirmed to Rock Paper Shotgun that it will reactivate the existing Tales of Pride seasonal quest and continue to support community-led Pride activities in 2026 – but it will not create any new Pride-month quest content next year.

• Jagex will reactivate the Tales of Pride seasonal quest in 2026 and support community-run Pride events in RuneScape and Old School RuneScape.
• The studio says it will not develop new Pride-month quest content in 2026, framing that as a governance decision to protect the game’s long-term continuity.
• That choice follows public backlash and internal debate last year after the studio paused new Pride content – a controversy still shaping community trust.

Breaking down the decision

Last June, Jagex stirred a storm by deciding not to produce new Pride Month content for RuneScape and Old School RuneScape. The conversation leaked internally and escalated into public criticism, with some staff and players accusing the studio of retreating under pressure. Jagex’s CEO Jon Bellamy later framed the move as a governance choice: “Ultimately, my job is governance and protection as much as anything else,” he told GamesIndustry, arguing he had to weigh risks to the long-term health of the games.

Fast-forward to February 2026 and Jagex has clarified the outcome: it will keep existing Pride representation in the game — Tales of Pride, introduced in 2022 and repeatedly re-run — and it will continue to support in-person and community-led Pride celebrations. What it won’t do is commission brand-new Pride-month questlines for 2026. When pressed, Jagex repeated the same core message: “We have not stopped supporting Pride and we will continue to celebrate Pride this year.” That reads like damage control, but it’s also a deliberate policy stance.

Why this matters to players

For players who treat RuneScape as a community and cultural space, the difference between re-running a seasonal quest and creating new quest content is meaningful. New quests tend to bring fresh narrative beats, new cosmetics, and moments that feel like a genuine celebration of representation. The Tales of Pride quest provides in-world stories about LGBTQ+ characters and seasonal cosmetics, which keeps representation present — but re-runs aren’t the same as new creative investment.

Old School RuneScape’s history matters here. Historically the studio has shipped unique Pride-related quests for OSRS in 2017, 2022-24, and each of those drop new rewards and stories. There wasn’t a new quest in 2025, and Jagex is confirming the same pause in 2026. Expect players who wanted new content — and developers inside who wanted to create it — to feel disappointed.

Context and skepticism

This isn’t just a creative choice; it sits at the intersection of studio governance, corporate ownership, and public backlash. Reports last year suggested the decision was influenced by concerns about conservative backlash and the priorities of Jagex’s owners. That discussion is still echoing: Bellamy has explicitly spoken about avoiding actions that could “compromise” the escapism that keeps players engaged, warning that studios can face cancellation for perceived “woke” content.

Read generously, Jagex is trying to preserve a stable experience for hundreds of thousands of daily players. Read skeptically, the policy looks like a cautious retreat from actively growing in-game LGBTQ+ content to avoid controversy. Either way, the community — which has a long history of organizing Pride parades and in-game gatherings since 2020 — will shoulder a lot of the celebrations again.

What to expect for Pride Month 2026

Concrete points: Tales of Pride will be active in RuneScape; community-led parades and after-parties will be supported in both RuneScape and Old School RuneScape; Jagex is running local Pride events and some in-person US activities, which the studio says are unrelated to in-game content decisions. But if you were hoping for new questlines or fresh Pride cosmetics next June, Jagex has already told Rock Paper Shotgun that won’t happen.

TL;DR

Jagex will keep Pride visible in RuneScape by reactivating Tales of Pride and backing community events, but it won’t commission new Pride-month quests in 2026. The studio frames this as a governance move to protect long-term continuity — a practical position that still leaves a creative and trust gap between the company and players who wanted fresh, developer-led Pride content.

Source: Rock Paper Shotgun reporting and Jagex’s direct responses to questions about Pride content and community support.