Requiem for a game: Quirky MMO Glitch to close

November 16, 2012

Late this summer, a friend introduced me to an open-world MMO beta called Glitch. Handsome, well-written, and deliciously odd, Glitch was like nothing I've ever played. Some games you play to see how they end, and some games you play because you want to win them. I play Glitch for the sheer delight of getting to the surprise beyond each corner. When my character reached level 35, it seemed I finally knew enough to convey the game's uniqueness and enjoyableness in a review. But yesterday afternoon, as I wrote the review, developer Tiny Speck told players—first in a cryptic in-game announcement and then in a FAQ and forum thread—that the game will close down on December 9. Although Glitch's online signup has been disabled, you can play until December 9 if you have an account or an invitation. Players with unused invitations can still invite friends to play in this brief period. All current players have received game credits and a subscription for the duration. Glitch's robust snapshot galleries helped build the community. Subtitled "A Game of Giant Imagination," Glitch was created by the people behind Katamari Damacy and Flickr, and it brings the strangeness and the sociability those names suggest. Although Katamari creator Keita Takahashi's role was not defined, it's easy to picture his involvement when you see the eleven Giants, omniscient beings that look something like H.P. Lovecraft's Elder Gods as drawn by Sanrio. We do know that the dinosaur-innards underground passages were his idea. Flickr co-founder Stewart Butterfield is a high-profile member of Glitch developer Tiny Speck; perhaps that's why in-game snapshots (complete with photo filters, sharing, and comments) are such a big part of the game. In fact, Flickr started as a part of a previous Butterfield project, Ludicorp's Game Neverending. Under the handle Stoot Barfield, Butterfield plays the game and conducts lively forum discussion. To read this article in full or to leave a comment, please click here

Link: http://www.pcworld.com/article/2014252/requiem-for-a-game-quirky-mmo-glitch-to-close.html