Steam MMORPG is Shutting Down, But It's Not All Bad News

Steam MMORPG Book of Travels is going offline forever, but players will still be able to revisit the game, thanks to a decision made by its developers. While it may be a small comfort for gamers who enjoyed the Steam title, it’s a better ending than a lot of modern online games get these days.

Book of Travels was originally released in early access in late 2021, and has some stark differences between it and the average MMORPG. Indie game Book of Travels lacks the standard linear missions and stories that MMORPG fans are familiar with, with no real beginning or end, allowing players to craft their own experiences and journeys entirely. The game notably lacks any direct methods of communicating with other players outside emotes, particularly setting it apart. However, it seems the game’s uniqueness wasn’t enough for it to succeed.

Book of Travels Shuts Down, But It Won’t Entirely Go Away

On April 15, it was revealed that Book of Travels would be shutting down on July 31. The developers apologized for the prolonged radio silence, and revealed that ultimately, the scope of the project was too much for the team to handle. Despite their lack of capacity for the game, they continued trying to make it work, but after trying a number of avenues, they found the “very foundation” the game was built upon to be unsustainable, and couldn’t resolve its core issues. The team spent a year trying to find ways to save the game, and ultimately, decided to do so in a unique way: by taking the game completely offline, and transforming it into an entirely single-player experience.

Effective immediately, Book of Travels has become a game that can be played completely offline for those who already own it or choose to buy it going forward. The team has rebalanced the game to ensure that it better suits a single-player experience, and has opened up the game entirely to mods. While its development is ending, the team has created a modding channel on the game’s official Discord, and promised to work with the modding community and assist where it can. Fans of the game have until July 31 to download their characters from the servers, which can then be used offline. Further, the developers have reduced the price of the game from $29.99 to just $4.99, given the changes made and its development coming to a close.

Numerous gamers have shared their thoughts on the latest MMO to shut down, with many expressing how sad they are to see the online multiplayer experience come to an end. Others noted that they thought something like this day would be coming, given a lack of communication from the developers, layoffs at the studio, and a lack of updates to the game in recent times. Many have said that they will continue playing the game in offline mode, as they love the world of the game.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Who’s That Character?

Identify the silhouettes before time runs out.

Easy (7.5s)Medium (5.0s)Hard (2.5s)Permadeath (2.5s)

However, there was also a great deal of praise for the decision to make the game an offline experience instead of allowing it to completely disappear when it shuts down. It’s a rare win in online gaming, as numerous titles have been shut down in recent years and become completely unavailable to play at that point. The issue has even reached the European Parliament, where the founder of Stop Killing Games recently spoke on the matter of game preservation and whether companies should be allowed to shut down games that players have purchased. Many gamers would probably like to see more studios make decisions like Might and Delight did with Book of Travels.