RuneScape players have more options to customize their clans with the launch of the new Clan Citadels expansion today. Jagex announced the free expansion's deployment in a press release earlier today, adding the new clan citadels feature to the game. As of today, clan leaders of clans with five or more members can choose and take ownership of one of several new floating citadels.

The new clan city in the sky will provide a number of new clan and customization options that include: player generated content, a Battleground editor to create your own PvP scenarios, skilling zones, portal grounds and more. Each citadel also comes with the option to upgrade through seven tiers to unlock more space and other content.

Head over to the official RuneScape website to start playing and check out the official press release after the break for additional expansion details.

RUNESCAPE LAUNCHES HISTORIC CLAN CITADELS EXPANSION

EXPANSION OFFERS FLOATING CITADELS, CUSTOMISABLE CASTLE KEEPS AND BATTLEFIELD GENERATORS TO WAGE WAR AGAINST YOUR ENEMIES

Tuesday 26th July 2011, Cambridge, UK - Jagex Games Studio today released the latest RuneScape expansion, Clan Citadels. This expansion fills RuneScape’s horizon with a multitude of floating castles, offering in-game clans a much-anticipated unique and fully customisable gameplay experience.

Details of the expansion were first released earlier this month, resulting in a surge of players rushing to join the game and pledge their allegiance to one of the existing 200,000+ clans. From today, any clan with five or more RuneScape members will be able to take ownership of its own Citadel.

Clan Citadels are set to break the mould for group gaming in MMOs by offering players unmatched customisation and freedom to create user-generated multiplayer content. Clans choose from four initial Citadel layouts and propel their Citadel into glorious sunshine or perpetual night. Players then have unrestricted customisation options for their castle keep, and can add a range of banners and flags, flying the colours of their clan for all to see.

The centrepiece of today’s expansion is the clan battlefields feature, presenting unique sandbox environments allowing clans to generate their own gameplay, a RuneScape first. The Battleground Editor allows players to generate their own combat scenarios and multiplayer games. Clans can create any activity, including simple capture-the-flag games, deathmatches, ball games, mazes, and any combination of these. Once the battlegrounds are fine-tuned, players can challenge other clans to participate in large-scale battles and competitions.

Each clan’s Citadel can be upgraded through seven tiers, unlocking more space, skilling hotspots, impressive elements and special features. These include skilling zones, portal grounds, meeting areas, a senate, dragon perch, and party room.

Daniel Clough, VP of RuneScape, commented, “Today is a historic day for RuneScape, as we release the biggest expansion of the year and our largest ever community update. We have been looking for a unique and innovative way to provide new multiplayer features to the game, and we are hugely excited to see what the community makes of this update. The popularity of our in-game clans is staggering, with more than 1.3 million players signing up since our last clan update in April and, as you would expect, the level of anticipation for this update is unprecedented. Our ambitious plan has always been to make RuneScape’s clan support the envy of the MMO world, and we are confident that Clan Citadels can do just that.”

Clan Citadels is released to RuneScape today. To create your free account and see the Citadels for yourself, visit www.runescape.com.

-Ends-

About RuneScape

RuneScape is the world’s most popular free-to-play MMO (as recognised by Guinness World Records), from multiple award-winning independent British development studio Jagex. Set in a richly detailed, mediaeval fantasy world, RuneScape proudly draws its inspiration from classic role-playing games. RuneScape delivers a contemporary, innovative and original experience for millions of players across the globe every day. RuneScape offers a fully featured free-to-play game, with a popular subscription option of even greater scale and ambition, both running directly within almost any computer’s browser.

Thanks to its character-class-free skill system and elective gameplay, there are no limits to the heroes players can become, no quest you cannot complete and no requirement to collaborate with others or face them in player-versus-player combat unless you so choose. RuneScape’s distinctive role-playing style rewards players who think strategically and play smartly. Its witty, intelligent tone, finely balanced gameplay, epic questing and myriad in-world diversions combine to create a game that has earned its place as the most popular free-to-play, massively multiplayer online game of all time, and continues to push the boundaries of online role-playing as it enters its glorious tenth year.

About Jagex – Just About the Game Experience

Jagex Games Studio is a multi-award winning games developer and publisher based in Cambridge, England. Jagex specialises in the development of high quality browser-based games and is the largest independent games developer and publisher in the UK.

Jagex has developed and self-published over 40 online titles, including the world's most popular free multiplayer online game, RuneScape. In addition to RuneScape, Jagex self-publishes games on its games portal Jagex.com, and has released a series of successful iPhone games. Jagex also acts as a third-party publisher for likeminded developers, publishing titles such as Herotopia, War of Legends, and the iPhone title Undercroft. The studio’s in-house team is currently developing a number of games, including 8Realms, which is currently in Closed Beta, and two new MMOs; Stellar Dawn and TRANSFORMERS UNIVERSE.