Doke

And there are currently 537,395 subscribers. Keep in mind that thousands of them are only paying to play 2007. It's pretty bad

Yes, you could argue that, but what Jagex was doing was definitely unique. Now you have a browser game running on java/html5 trying to emulate certain aspects of "better MMOs". To the outside eye its laughable and honestly I think it was a huge mistake and Jagex should've stuck with what they originally had. I think they knew that a major overhaul wasn't necessary but they figured following the track of big budget mmo's would be the key to major success. Unfortunately we're starting to see that it backfired.

It's pretty clear that RS is declining. I think whatever true fans are left just simply don't want to admit it. Obviously we've heard this before but now it's becoming evident. The sole reason Jagex is still profiting is because there are idiots spending $100 for 450 spins and who knows how much for runecoins. This is pretty much due to the EOC. Sure, the EOC has done some good things for PVM but it can't be justified because there are wayyy too many drawbacks. Remember when Mod Mark said EOC would greatly benefit PVP players? What did it actually do? Killed just about every form of PVP in the game. Minigames, wild, duel arena, all pretty much dead. The EOC has limited RS to Skilling/PVM. The reason I don't play anymore is because I can no longer take a break from killing monsters/chopping trees. PVP has become non-existent. I got banned recently from the forums but I did manage to find a great quote from the EOC discussion. This is why RS3 will never attract a significant amount of new players. While HTML5 and NIS both look nice, they are clearly poor compared to what other renowned MMOs offer. You have to look at it through the eyes of a new player. Why would anybody choose RS over the larger MMOs? Jagex thought it would be a good idea to try and follow the path of the bigger games but all they have done is make RS look like a joke to new players (especially today where PC gaming/modding has become so popular. graphics graphics graphics.) And while microtransactions can bring in a ton of money short-term, it definitely draws potential players away. If I log into a game and see the option to purchase ANYTHING other than a membership, I'm getting the hell out and playing something else. The first thing that would come to my mind is, "ok, im at a disadvantage." RS lost its niche and with that a huge percentage of its original playerbase. I honestly can't see RS making any progress with the EOC. They've dug themselves into a hole far too deep. If the EOC was removed I could see the game begin to make a comeback, but that will probably never happen because they're just too stubborn over there at Jagex Studios