Ever wondered what the inside of a long-dead but still online MMORPG looked like? One YouTuber was curious, so they spent a month playing one, found a small yet dedicated community, and managed to put the game back in front of millions of people.
YouTuber Bind set off a series of chain reactions when they jumped into 1999's Dark Ages, an isometric fantasy MMO that's almost entirely player-run (that means fans have more control than you might expect over the economy, politics, social events, and even laws - seriously, some players have the power to jail or delete characters for violating the game's terms of service.)
A video called 'I Spent 30 Days in a Dead MMO (and it was amazing)' had the content creator waddling through Dark Ages when only a few people were online at any one time, years past its peak. To his surprise, the longtime fans were incredibly welcoming but also shocked that a newbie had popped up after so long. Even developer Kru Interactive had long since neglected Dark Ages, even though it was still running.
That video managed to attract over three and a half million pairs of eyeballs, leading to a real, heart warming Dark Ages revival. A follow-up video even shows side-by-side images of the same areas pre-and-post revival, and the results are stunning. What were desolate town centres are now bustling. A celebration for Bind even attracted queues.
"It's been a wild ride, so many new and returning players have energized our community," Kru Interactive, who returned to support the game, commented under the follow-up. "We've seen a surge in support inquiries lately and response times took a hit, but we appreciate you raising the issue and we're working to improve. You reignited a fire that never went out, now it burns brighter than ever. Rumor has it the community's calling for an in-game tribute in your honor. We're working on it. You sparked something real and revived the soul of the game."
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