Armageddon Closing

[ArmageddonMUD]

ArmageddonMUD is closing

It is with profound sadness and a heavy heart that we are announcing the temporary but indefinite shutdown of ArmageddonMUD in 24 hours, effective Tuesday October 22, 2024. This decision comes after careful consideration and countless conversations wrestling with the reality of our situation.

It has become abundantly clear that we have a number of bad actors in our community and even on our staff who are freely sharing privileged information including request tool correspondence, account information/notes, and 'who plays who' in order to effectively belittle and bully others on alternative forums and in private discord channels.

These leaks are a constant source of morale damage to staff and players alike, and their actions and posts have also taken hundreds of man-hours from the senior leadership team to investigate.  This has consumed an enormous amount of time and energy that should have been spent adding to the game, driving plots and making Seasons a success.

It is impossible for us to continue our efforts with an incredible staffing team while knowing that someone on our team is breaching internal agreements and betraying our trust. This person is sharing privileged information and providing ammunition to those who attack us. This in itself leaves us reeling, unable to commit to the creative process and unable to enjoy what should be an incredible and fun journey for those working on it. Additionally, a leak from within the staffing team represents a very real privacy concern that we cannot ignore. We cannot continue to put players' privacy at risk by allowing their communications and information to be shared in this way. And we cannot operate the game without having those communications and that information, so it is vital that we have an entirely trustworthy team.

It is disheartening to see each leak, each breach of trust, each celebration of our community's pain as it strikes at the heart of what made ArmageddonMUD special: our shared commitment to creating something meaningful together.

We addressed our team internally recently, making it absolutely clear that if the leaks continued we would be forced to close, and heartbreakingly, the leaks have continued. This is not a decision we have made lightly. But we cannot maintain the integrity of our world and the community we have built, and cannot honestly call ourselves stewards of this game or its legacy, while these breaches of trust continue.

If the leak (or leaks) come forward and identify themselves to the Producers, then we will be able to have a conversation about reopening the game. Is it likely the player base will be damaged by this temporary shutdown regardless? Absolutely. Is there a chance we cannot recover from this even if we are able to reopen the game? Absolutely. So we really hope that the people responsible are ready to be honest with themselves about their part in this and ready to shoulder the weight of ruining something so important to so many people.


To Our Staff

To our dedicated staff members who have poured their hearts into this world: we share your pain, frustration and confusion. Your countless hours of creativity, your late-night coding sessions, your carefully crafted plots and events have all helped shape thousands of lives, including our own. The actions of a few should not diminish the incredible impact you have had on so many.

To those involved in the leaks: your actions have not just compromised data, they have attacked a community that has been a sanctuary and third place for countless people. A place where many of us found ourselves, found our confidence and found lifelong friends. We remain open to dialogue, but the damage you have caused extends far beyond game mechanics or leaked information.


A Final Word

To everyone who has been part of the ArmageddonMUD family: your stories matter. Your experiences matter. The friendships you have forged, the characters you have brought to life, the growth you have achieved are real and valuable, regardless of what others might say. The world we built together has shaped careers, changed lives, helped people to discover themselves and fostered connections that will last long after the last mantis head.

Whatever comes next, know that the legacy of ArmageddonMUD lives on in the lives it has touched and the stories we have told together. No amount of malice can erase the impact this community has had on so many lives, including our own.

Until such a time that Producers are confident leaks from staff have been firmly addressed and bad actors in our community involved with these leaks identified, the game will be indefinitely closed. If no one comes forward, or we are unable to repair the damage, then the game as it has been known will be forever closed. 

The GDB is now read only, but we will be leaving the Discord open for as long as it remains civil and the moderators are willing to remain. We are so unbelievably sorry it has come to this.

Those with information pertaining to these leaks can email producers directly:

producers@armageddon.org

CC:

usiku@armageddon.org
halaster@armageddon.org
eurynomos@armageddon.org

With enduring gratitude to all the members of the community who have made positive contributions to the game,

Eurynomos, Usiku, Halaster - Producers of ArmageddonMUD

[Halaster]

Quick update:  there is no update, really.  We've so far not received any information nor has anyone come forward.

On the chance that the person might be worried about the community eviscerating them over it, we'll say this:  if you do come forward so that we can have some closure to this and feel satisfied these leaks will stop, your identity will not be shared to anyone outside the Producer Team, and all that will happen is you'll be asked to leave staff.

The deadline is 9am Server Time Tuesday October 29, 2024.  The game will remain closed until then.  If at that time there is no resolution to this, the game will be permanently shuttered.

[ArmageddonMUD]

There has been no satisfactory conclusion to the issue of a staff leak that led to us turning off the game.  Therefore, it is with a sad heart that we have decided to shutdown ArmageddonMUD permanently.

Eurynomos will be posting more information about an "in memoriam" project for the game for players to submit to.  Also, you can view all of your character biographies here:  https://armageddon.org/bios/list.php .  While we will keep the website up for a while, you should save these off locally somehow, such as Print to PDF or the like.

On behalf of the ArmageddonMUD team, past and present, thank you to the players of our game that shared their time and passion with ArmageddonMUD.  As we close the final chapter of this beloved world of bone swords we built together over 32 years, when we think back we're filled with wonderful memories.  Together, this community has shared epic battles, forged lifelong friendships, and lived countless stories.  May these memories live in the hearts of all who walked the sands of Zalanthas.

Shade and Water

- Eurynomos, Usiku, Halaster - Producers of ArmageddonMUD