In a surprise move Hi-Rez Studios today announced the immediate closure of all official forums for their MMO games including SMITE, Global Agenda and Tribes: Ascend. As a long-term SMITE player I knew next to nothing about this announcement until it appeared on the forums, it wasn’t even sent out in an official capacity. Below is the message currently present when attempting to access forums.
Over the past year, Hi-Rez has noticed an increasing trend in our
players and many other online gaming communities. More and more players
use social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, Twitch, and
Reddit to connect and discuss their entertainment of choice.
Consequently, fewer players visit official forums long enough to even
create an account. In keeping with this observed tendency, Hi-Rez has
shifted focus to those social media platforms increasingly over the
course of the year.Within no more than 24 hours from the time of
this post, another step will be taken toward focusing communication on
social media platforms. The official forums will no longer be available.
To continue discussing Hi-Rez games and initiatives within a forum-like
setting, the established community sub-Reddits will be utilized. Of
course, we will continue to interact with the community through our own
live streams and community-based channels.We also plan to have more
YouTube content that will increase connectivity between Hi-Rez staff and
players. Stay informed by following all of the social media platforms
for the Hi-Rez game(s) you play!
Gaming forums have been present for just as long as games have. Even before we had the MMO genre people came together to discuss their gaming topics on various boards across the internet. There’s probably a good portion of the community that are happy to move across to Facebook, Twitter or the sub-Reddits but with community moderators at the helm; forums are not that expensive to maintain.