Fandom Finds a Way!
Warhammer Online: Age of Reckoning shut down official servers in 2013. The players disagreed. To make a long story short: new servers were set up to replace the old ones, an emulated version of the old game let players continue playing, and now, the team behind it is adding new content for players to enjoy.
The content consists mainly of two large cities – originally intended to be a part of the full release, but cut for time. They were already partially developed within the games files, but a lot of work needed to be done for the fans to make them playable. But if you know anything about fans of near-decade-old MMOs, they’re nothing if not dedicated. These new additions included new monsters for players to combat, more story content to dive into, just about everything you’d expect from a major location in a major MMO.
In a statement released on the fandom’s own website, those behind the project thanked all those who put in the effort to make this half-finished content into a reality.
“We would like to thank the volunteers who put (tens of) thousands of hours into building these cities, including 3D Modelling, Concept Art, World Building, Tools Building and so much more.”, they said. “Thank you to all of the other Return of Reckoning team members who may not have contributed directly but however have been working on other elements of the game over the years. Thank you to all the players who make this all worth while.”
There’s always something magical about seeing a project like this, transitioning from something with financial goals into something fueled by passion alone. Speaking as someone who’s been involved with plenty of “dead” fandoms who’ve added more than the original team ever could, I know from experience that the emotional rush of something like this doesn’t come often. Congratulations to the Age of Reckoning players, and the Return of Reckong project. Today is a glorious day!