What Happens at the End of the World? An MMOG’s Closure and Player Responses

Abstract

On March 15, 2011 at 1:11 pm EST residents of the virtual world Faunasphere saw a network disconnect error message flash on their screens, suggesting that perhaps their Internet connections to the site had been lost. But the residents—known as Caretakers—knew better: Big Fish Games had pulled the plug on the casual MMOG they had launched less than two years prior. Shortly after the error message appeared, players gathered in self-created forums and a Facebook group (all set up in advance) to express their grief, share memories, and decide on what they would do next. Big Fish Games had given them a month’s notice of the world’s impending closure (or “sunset” as such closures are called in the game industry) and so players were able to gather, commiserate and plan their next steps.