RaiderZ is a free to play MMORPG that lets you explore the world of Rendel which has been set upon by colossal beasts. Or, rather, it was. Earlier this week, its publisher, Perfect World, announced that the server issues that have been plaguing the game over the past several weeks are due to the developer, MAIET, suddenly shutting down rendering them unable to troubleshoot the increasing issues that arise.
The formal shut down of servers will be on August 7th at 10AM PDT, however Perfect World has promised 100% refunds to players’ Arc Accounts, backdating to May 7th. They’ve also cut prices for in game items and any players that have logged in within the last 30 days will get 1000 in-game currency to go crazy with prior to the full server shut down.
MMOs shutting down isn’t a new thing, the survival rate in that field is brutal. Back in 2012 City of Heroes closed servers despite an impressive campaign to try and save it, and Tabula Rasa had the added weirdness of having its closure announced while developer, Richard Garriott, was still in quarantine following a spaceflight and ended up contributing to a $28 million dollar lawsuit between himself and NCsoft.
What makes the closure of RaiderZ so strange is that there weren’t any prior announcements of MAIET’s impending demise or plans for restructuring. Instead, Perfect World seems just as surprised by the developer’s disappearing act. At least Perfect World is doing right by those effected.
