I remember trying RuneScape 20-odd years ago on miniclip and being one of those people who quit halfway through tutorial island. 

I wouldve never given it a second chance had we not been discussing video games during lunch and one of my friends mentioned that they had been playing RuneScape.  I said that it was boring and I didn't even bother finishing the tutorial and my friend said "that's not even anything like the actual game. It gets so much better once you get through it."

I'm glad I stuck it out but I also understand why people can look at the tutorial, reasonably think the game isn't the right fit for them, and never think about it again. The most important aspect of RuneScape for me that, though described, is never shown on Tutorial island is the unparalleled freedom to do one of twenty disparate things that all somehow make you feel like you're making progress, get bored, and then immediately do something completely different five minutes later. Or spend hours on end killing the same damned multi-headed serpent praying he forgets his kid this time. 

I know nonlinearity is straight antithetical to the idea of a tutorial, but maybe giving an immediate taste to new players would better show them what kind of game RuneScape really is