What's Happening?
Gotcha Gotcha Games has announced the closure of the official RPG Maker forums, a decision that has sparked significant concern within the gaming community. The forums, which have been a repository of knowledge and community interaction for nearly 15
years, will not be archived, leading to fears of losing a vast amount of user-generated content. The company plans to replace the existing forums with a new platform called RPG Maker Guild, intended to foster community engagement. However, the lack of an archival plan for the current forums means that over 1.4 million posts, including valuable technical support threads and community discussions, are at risk of being permanently lost. The forums will transition to a read-only mode on June 18, 2026, and will be completely inaccessible by December 11, 2026.
Why It's Important?
The closure of the RPG Maker forums represents a significant cultural and practical loss for the gaming community. These forums have been instrumental in supporting developers, providing solutions to technical issues, and fostering a collaborative environment for game creation. The decision not to archive the forums could result in the loss of critical resources that have supported countless projects and innovations within the RPG Maker community. This move highlights broader issues within the tech industry regarding the preservation of digital knowledge and community resources. The potential loss of this information could hinder future developers who rely on these forums for guidance and support, impacting the broader landscape of independent game development.
What's Next?
As the forums prepare to close, users are encouraged to save any content they wish to preserve. Meanwhile, Jason Scott from the Internet Archive has indicated that efforts are underway to archive the forums, providing a glimmer of hope for preserving this valuable resource. The gaming community is likely to continue advocating for an official archival solution from Gotcha Gotcha Games, emphasizing the importance of maintaining access to this wealth of information. The response from the company and the success of independent archiving efforts will determine the extent to which this knowledge can be preserved for future use.
