Overview
- Rohan Varma, an OpenAI developer, used Codex and GPT‑6 Astra to build a browser MMO called Elderwood and posted about the project on September 6.
- Varma said the build took roughly 20 prompts and low cost, and he shared screenshots that reviewers said closely matched Old School RuneScape’s graphics, UI and place names.
- The project drew swift attention from the OSRS Reddit community, which flagged the clone and urged Jagex to intervene after the game briefly went viral on September 7.
- Jagex issued a takedown request and Varma discontinued Elderwood on September 9, leaving a farewell message on the site but preserving leaderboards and high scores.
- The episode highlights legal risks for fan‑style projects and reputational concerns for AI firms, and it raises questions about how fast coding models can produce near‑derivative interactive works.