At Bossa Studios we love taking risks and making stuff that no one dares to do in order to create great original experiences for players. Worlds Adrift was an ambitious undertaking for us: a community crafted MMO built on freedom and player agency with multiplayer physics, set in a huge world. We are proud of what we achieved with the game since development began five years ago out of a humble game jam.
We are immensely grateful for every Traveller that came to experience this community crafted world. However, Worlds Adrift just did not reach the level of popularity that it needed to in order to continue. The challenges that came with our ambitious project meant that all our work went into making the game work, rather than making it the experience we wanted it to be. As a result we failed at making a game that could capture the imaginations of millions. Creating an MMO like Worlds Adrift is a huge financial commitment and unfortunately the game was just no longer commercially viable.
What does the end of Worlds Adrift mean for its community?
Bossa Studios will be continuing as a developer and publisher of games, but Worlds Adrift came to a close in July 2019. To provide a special experience in the game’s final months, all the cosmetic items in the in-game shop were given out to every player. Additionally, Worlds Adrift Founder Captains received a free copy of Surgeon Simulator and I Am Bread as a thanks for joining us on our journey, and to give a glimpse into the kinds of experiences we’re looking to create going forward. Founder Captains’ names were also immortalised on the game’s website, which will remain live as a tribute to the world we’ve built together.
Worlds Adrift did not sail quietly into the night. We hosted an End of the World event which was live streamed on Twitch, we also conducted an AMA with the dev team during the stream.
If you have more questions, please take a look at our extensive Q&A below.
We’ve really appreciated all your feedback on Worlds Adrift throughout development and we’d love your ongoing support with our unannounced titles. Our Bossa Studios Creator Club is a group where like-minded and also not-so-like-minded individuals help us make the very best games we can, through surveys, playtests and more. The Creator Club is open to all influencers and content creators, regardless of your following.
Thank you all for joining us on this incredible journey,
The Worlds Adrift Team.
Why did Worlds Adrift shut down?
Making such an ambitious game was always going to be a challenge and we loved the game that we built together with our community. However, Worlds Adrift simply did not capture the imagination of as many people as we needed to make it commercially viable.
When did Worlds Adrift shut down?
The Worlds Adrift servers shut down in July 2019 with our End of the World Party.
What happened to my character/stuff?
All characters, ships and items are no longer accessible now that the servers have shut down.
Can I get a refund?
If you were eligible for a refund, you would have received one automatically through Steam. Unfortunately we cannot issue any further refunds for the game now.
I purchased something from the Worlds Adrift Item Store. Can I get a refund for it?
All in-game purchases made since the store launched in Update 29 were refunded automatically.
What about all your other games? What are you working on?
Bossa is a games developer and publisher. We always work on at least three projects in parallel. Right now, we're focused on Surgeon Simulator 2 and I Am Fish but we have other unannounced titles in development at this time, and we will be talking about them soon.
Can I still use the Island Creator?
The Worlds Adrift Island Creator will remain live but it will no longer be possible for players to bring their creations into the game now that the servers are shut down.
You said Founders received stuff. What am I getting?
All Founders received a copy of I Am Bread and Surgeon Simulator on Steam. This was an automated process and all eligible players should now have received those games as compensation. In addition, the Worlds Adrift website will remain live with a list of Founder Captains’ names as a digital monument to the world we built together.
Make it Open Source
The reason why Worlds Adrift (and many large games) don't go Open Source when they are sunset is simple: they are in part built with third party tools, plugins and licensed code that we cannot share or open source ourselves. Without these the game doesn't run nor compile. Going over and removing all these instances is a huge undertaking as well. This is why it's rare for a game going Open Source, it has little to do with willingness to do so.
Make it P2P, allow people to host their own servers
Unlike our other games, Worlds's network is built on top of SpatialOS, a proprietary tech. Worlds does not run without it, nor can it be hosted outside of SpatialOS's infrastructure. It stops us from both making it P2P or allow anyone to host their own servers, unfortunately.
I have a question that’s not answered here. Where do I go?
Please contact us via our support site with any further queries.