Insilico is not new, but has been around for over eight years. Last year, Second Life Newser did a review of the roleplay and area. But in March of this year, it's controversial owner Skills Hak was banned by Second Life by Linden Lab, and the sims offlined. Thanks to negotiations behind the scenes, the sims were transferred to administrator Abeus Madruga and had a new lease on virtual life.
Unfortunately, the damage was done, and the area which had been able to cover it's costs before began bleeding red ink, Abeus stating in the announcement, "a combination of losses that have slowly eroded away: Malls are drying up, Skills’ MP sales disappearing, fewer long term residential rentals, etc." While people in the roleplay were able to cover the deficits out of their pockets for a while, this month it was finally too great.
So, we had to make a decision. Either make a drastic reduction to just two sims (a full region and a homestead), or close InSilico as a whole while we are still in a position to do so on our own terms. After a lot of discussion and soul searching with the current staff and some players (and a lot of antacids), we’ve opted for the latter…to go out whole.
This is a very hard choice for us, and not one that we’ve come to lightly. Even though it might be possible to survive as just two sims, the technical aspects of that were daunting. ... we just weren’t entirely confident ourselves that we could make it work in such a short amount of time. We also didn’t want to have to keep turning to the community for donations to keep us afloat during that process…but certainly the one thing we didn’t want was to go through all of this, and then find ourselves back in this same position 2, 3, 4 months down the line. We don't want to wither away, slowly or not.
Perhaps it’s just a sign of the times, the state of things in general, or our age and reputation that have brought us to this point. Maybe we should have dropped a couple regions from the start…Either, any, or…it doesn’t really matter now. We have chosen to come to a close with InSilico as it is now, intact and committed to our memories in the same way. It’s a sacrifice, but not one of compromise.
As I said in my previous (albeit premature) Goodbye/Love letter to InSilico during the lockout…We’ve had some good times, even some great times. 9 years’ worth of stories that will continue to transcend the sims on which they were told…I couldn’t ask for anything more than that as a legacy.
We still have the sims until the end of their respective tiers. Central and South will be dropped on the 28th/1st, but East and South East will remain until November 17th …after which they too will go their separate ways. The Ning will hang on for a while longer after that, but for how long I cannot say as we don’t have access to the creator account. In the meantime, continue RPing and taking in the sites. Enjoy it while you can. Take pictures, tell war stories, have a party. ICly the city isn’t going anywhere, even if the sims are. We aren’t blowing it up or tanking it…we’re just going to fade to black so it can continue to exist in your imaginations and stories.
There were a number of comments following the post, among them, "it was always nice knowing Insilco kept on. It’s been real, but even the best parties end…or get broken up by the police…or burn down when Mike accidentally sets the curtains on fire." "I dare say it was never perfect, and it had its bitter moments; but my time here won't ever be forgotten. I have memories here that I am truly truly fond of and are the prime reason cyberpunk has blossomed to become my favourite genre. For my first and most cherished experience with role-play and story-telling, for helping me discover cyberpunk, and for the friendship when perhaps I needed it the most, ..." "The city will always represent something beautiful, like a distant memory that is not easy to part with. I've met a lot of amazing people here, as Cora stated as before me, and we built a very nice community that kept going for a while. It was my first SL RP and it helped me see a great many things. My experience here is unforgettable, unique in a way, every angle I was involved with was truly an inspiration, it helped me go deeper into my own development and I know it helped others to do the same. I'll miss it, for that memory it is, for that one time years ago that made me smile... And even to this day, continues to do so. ... Thank you for the memories."
And so, another noted region and the home of a equally noted roleplay, is facing the end.
Hat Tip: Hamlet Au
Bixyl Shuftan
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