The Realm Online dies its final death. Update: Still alive?

[rusty_shackleford]

https://www.realm-worlds.com/

Dear Realmers,

We are sad to inform you of a sudden and unexpected end to our journey together.

Since the beginning of March, we have been talking with Norseman Games to acquire the IP rights to The Realm Online. At first, they seemed open and willing to entertain working out a deal with us, and we were confident in our ability to present them a compelling and valuable offer. Unfortunately, after presenting two offers to them we received little feedback. We were never provided a counteroffer nor any requested details to help us understand why our valuation was "inadequate". As a result, our relationship is ending and with it our ability to continue to operate and develop the game.

The current agreement we have with Norseman Games gives us no path to acquiring the IP. This impedes our ability to direct more money into developing content for the game. As revenue from the game decreases year over year, the effective percentage of revenue that goes to Norseman increases, making it harder still. None of the LLC members have been compensated for over a year. We had full intention of exploring every possibility to grow the player base, but without a way to acquire the IP this isn't a workable arrangement.

Over the next few days, we will be issuing prorated refunds to current subscribers and winding down our operations of the game. The game servers and website will officially shutdown on June 30th, 2023, at 18:00 EST.

If we are presented the opportunity to resume operations and development, Finvarra's Fortress will be in the exact state that we left it; nothing will be lost. We will be keeping backups of the work we have done over the last five years, including all character data from the Finvarra's Fortress server and everything in-progress that hasn't yet been completed.

The previous five years has presented The Realm with an amazing group of volunteers; these people have been instrumental to the community and well beyond. We hope that one day we can collaborate with these great folks again.

We have immensely enjoyed our last five years together trying to make The Realm a better place to play. As you all know, we are all players ourselves so we will continue to see you around. We hope that development on the game continues and the game lives a long and fulfilling life.

For now, this is goodbye. But we hope to be involved again some time soon. Please feel free to join our community on Discord at https://discord.gg/realmworlds

​

Sincerely,

Jaxson, Michael, and Roger
Realm Worlds, LLC

This was the first graphical online RPG I played, and one of the first MMORPGs to exist. It's sad to see it die over a stupid IP dispute because the holders of the IP want more money from a niche game.

[Atlantico]

A message from Norseman Games
Dear The Realm Online Community,

We, at Norseman Games, would like to address the recent announcement made by Realm Worlds, the current developer and operator of The Realm Online ("TRO"). We share your disappointment in being unable to come to a long-term agreement with Realm Worlds, and we want to provide information to address any concerns.

Effective June 30th, "Finvarra's Fortress," one of TRO's servers, will be taken offline by Realm Worlds. However, we are pleased to inform you that "Legacy Server," also known as Despothes' Grove, will be migrated to our cloud infrastructure, and we will operate it going forward.

All accounts, character data, and proprietary data associated with Despothes' Grove will be securely transferred from Realm Worlds back to Norseman Games. Please note that the migration process may cause temporary downtime of up to 48 hours once we receive the necessary data from Realm Worlds.

We would like to take this opportunity to thank Realm Worlds for their passion for this project thus far, and we are committed to keeping the game alive and thriving.

Our commitment to the player base remains unwavering, and we will keep the community informed on any progress or new developments in this space.

We understand that the TRO community is a crucial part of the game's success, and we thank you for your continued support.

Best regards,

Norseman Games

[Ranselknulf]

I have no idea about this game. Never tried it.

From a general business perspective though, often times investors interested in acquiring an IP or companies assets will simply let the company go bankrupt. They might even go around advertising/promoting the idea of letting the company go bankrupt so other potential investors stay out of the way.

This wouldn't be the first company to have bad management entrenched in the company with no feasible way to remove them. Destroying the companies is sometimes the easiest way to get rid of them.

So, how could this possibly apply to this situation?

If this game is niche, and the community wants whatever these Realm Worlds people are offering and dislike what Norseman Games has done, then there are a few options.

One option would be to simply protest and stop paying Norseman Games for subscriptions or whatever. If the game is already in financial trouble, further disengagement from the community could send the game into unprofitability. This could allow Realm Worlds a chance to force Norseman Games to sell, or end up with nothing in the end. Kinda hostile and arm-twisty, but perfectly legal.

The risk with that is Norseman Games flips the middle finger at these Realm Worlds people and lets the company go to bankruptcy anyways. Who knows what the outcome of bankruptcy would be, but the game could be dead permanently then also.


Edit.. Also, what kinda company twats put out a press release ending in "Best Regards". ChatGPT could have written a better press release than this shit.

[rusty_shackleford]

I have no idea about this game. Never tried it.

It's basically an online version of the QFG games originally made by the same people.
https://www.mobygames.com/game/4363/the ... s/windows/

Collaborations

People who have worked on this game have also collaborated on the creation of the following games:

Police Quest: SWAT 2, a group of 34 people
Roberta Williams' Phantasmagoria, a group of 25 people
Daryl F. Gates' Police Quest: SWAT, a group of 24 people
Quest for Glory V: Dragon Fire, a group of 22 people
The Beast Within: A Gabriel Knight Mystery, a group of 18 people
Lighthouse: The Dark Being, a group of 17 people
Phantasmagoria: A Puzzle of Flesh, a group of 16 people
Roberta Williams' King's Quest VII: The Princeless Bride, a group of 15 people
Space Quest 6: Roger Wilco in the Spinal Frontier, a group of 15 people
Daryl F. Gates Police Quest: Open Season, a group of 12 people
Quest for Glory: Shadows of Darkness, a group of 12 people
King's Quest VI: Heir Today, Gone Tomorrow, a group of 11 people
Lost Secret of the Rainforest, a group of 11 people
Gabriel Knight: Sins of the Fathers, a group of 11 people
Torin's Passage, a group of 11 people
EcoQuest: The Search for Cetus, a group of 11 people
The Dagger of Amon Ra, a group of 10 people

[rusty_shackleford]

We write this with a blend of emotions. For 27 years, The Realm Online has stood as a beacon of adventure, fostering enduring friendships and bringing immeasurable joy. Whether it was Sierra, Codemasters, Norseman Games, Rat Labs or Realm Worlds, it’s always been the community that held it together. We extend our deepest gratitude to each and every one of you for carrying The Realm Online through the test of time.

Over the past five years, we embarked on a partnership with Realm Worlds LLC (formerly known as Rat Labs LLC), which brought significant growth and positive changes to the game. However, as is the nature of partnerships, ours with Realm Worlds LLC has now come to an end.

In this pivotal moment, we are delighted to share the exciting news of our successful agreement with another team who has now acquired The Realm Online. We understand that you may have questions and concerns during this period of change. We also understand your reasons for skepticism. We firmly believe that the new team will honor the game's rich legacy while injecting fresh innovation and exciting adventures into its virtual realms. This transition will require time and effort to ensure a seamless transfer, we are committed to working closely to facilitate a smooth and successful handover.

Once again, we want to express our deepest appreciation for your unwavering support throughout this incredible journey. The Realm Online would not be what it is today without the strength and unity of this community. Thank you and more to come….

[Tweed]

I always thought it looked crappy and so did Meridian 59.