OSRS only exists today because someone found a 2007 backup in a drawer, says Jagex

Published Aug 15, 2026, 2:22 AM EDT Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary OSRS exists because an employee found a 2007 server backup in a desk drawer. Players wanted the 2006 version, but Jagex only had a 2007 copy to boot up and build OSRS from. OSRS blew up in popularity, beating the modern game's player counts. Given that we're all computer enthusiasts here at XDA, you can already guess that we're very passionate about people backing up their data. Even if nothing catastrophic happens, you'll never know when one might come in handy. Such is the case with Jagex, which revealed in a recent interview that the only reason Old School RuneScape (OSRS) became a thing was that someone had an old server sitting in a drawer. Old School RuneScape is all thanks to a forgotten server backup It explains why OSRS runs the version it does In an interview with PC Gamer, the Jagex team talks about the success of Old School RuneScape. Despite the newer version of RuneScape evolving into a proper modern MMO, people still flock to OSRS, which uses an older 2007 build. Players often cite it as the better version of the game, and it got so popular that Jagex continued creating content for it that never existed in the original build. OSRS got so huge that it eventually broke player records for Jagex, last year trouncing the newer version's player count by about eight times. But why did Jagex specifically pick the 2007 build of RuneScape for its legacy servers, especially when players were asking for a 2006 version to start? Well, there's a good reason why Jagex didn't go with a 2006 version: it didn't have a 2006 version. In fact, the seemingly only reason we have OSRS at all is that someone kept a backup of an old server. As Jagex senior communications manager Danni Amos puts it: "Players actually wanted the 2006 version, but we didn't have a copy of that version of the game. A [Jagex employee] found the 2007 server in their desk drawer, and we had to boot it up, see if it works." Fortunately, it did work, and it allowed Jagex to build OSRS off it. There's a good chance that if nobody kept that drive around, we wouldn't have the most popular version of RuneScape running today. Be sure to keep those backups, folks.