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Jagex

“Can Jagex sustain and expand its RuneScape franchise's subscription and in-game monetisation flywheel across new platforms under private-equity ownership while building out additional 'forever games' properties?”

Founded2001
HQCambridge, UK
Latest roundAcquisition by CVC Capital Partners and Haveli Investments, 2024
IndustryVertical SaaS / Gaming
The story

Jagex began in 2001 as the developer of RuneScape, one of the world's largest browser-based MMORPGs, building a durable subscription and in-game monetisation model. Growth was built on a two-track payment model — subscriptions plus microtransactions — underpinned by a data-centric payments partnership with Adyen from 2016. The company expanded via acquisitions in 2022 (Pipeworks, Gamepires) before being acquired by CVC Capital Partners and Haveli Investments in 2024, signalling a private-equity-led push to scale its 'forever games' franchises across PC, mobile, and console.

Last 12 months
2024-02
2025-10
2026-02
Product timeline
2001
Founded and launched RuneScape, a free-to-play massively multiplayer online game that went on to attract nearly 300 million player accounts.· pivot
2016
Partnered with Adyen for payments processing, adopting a data-driven approach to optimise subscription and in-game purchase conversion rates.· banking
2022
Acquired Pipeworks and Gamepires, expanding cross-platform capabilities and adding the survival title SCUM to its portfolio.· acquisition
2024
Agreed to be acquired by CVC Capital Partners and Haveli Investments following record subscriber growth in 2023; Carlyle Group's prior acquisition financing involved Permira Debt Managers.· acquisition
The stack
Payments / PSP
Adyen
FX & payouts
Adyen
Accounting gap: none