2025: Year in Review

 

2026 is here, a new year and the second half of the decade and the start of the second quarter of the century. But before we truly say goodbye to 2025, let's have a look back at what happened, a year full of triumphs and tragedies, of good news and blunders.

 

AI was a subject that got plenty of talk in real-life news, and made Second Life news as well.  Only days before the year started, the Lab had announced then paused an AI character designer. In late February, it was brought back, though just for designing a "personal companion." But in August, it announced it would once again pause development in September and those made couldn't be used any more until further notice. 

 

There would be an AI "Town Hall" in April for the Lab to answer some questions and concerns by the residents, one who would express, "If we let these AI run rampant, they will take our very humanity from us," and another who felt "An AI character can be a useful social outlet." Philip Linden would also answer questions about it at the SL22B, which was shortly after he wrote an essay "Ultraviolet Catastrophe" in which he suggested in the near future AI bots could overwhelm the Internet social media to the point people will drastically change how they use it. Two Lindens would leave the Lab, Runitai Linden, and Signal Linden.

 

There was a minor controversy in which what looked like AI generated commercials for Second Life made it to Facebook. Brad Oberwager, the head of Linden Lab, would respond those were never intended to be actual commercials but were tests that would be replaced with inworld content, "We f***ed up." 

 

A few readers submitted AI-generated fanart to the Newser. The majority of comments were positive, though not everyone was pleased, one calling it "supporting theft." There were also some music videos done in Second Life that were finished with the assistance of AI. There would be an event in Second Life, "AI Land" which displayed AI-generated art. The debate on the Internet about AI art would make it to the Newser in the form of a commentary by Nydia Tungsten. 

 

In February, Linden Lab announced "Membership Mania," in which residents got more perks, everyone getting a higher group limit, and Plus and above getting a few more such as Linden Home options, a higher stored IM limit, and more prim space at Linden Homes. They also had a computer giveaway. In March was "March Mobile Millions," which gave residents logging onto the mobile viewer a chance to spin a money wheel which had prizes up to one million Linden Dollars. April would offer the "Dash for Cash" just for logging into the mobile viewer. For a brief time in April, Linden Lab reduced purchase fees for Linden dollars to one cent. Also in April, Linden Labs would give all residents new and old the Avatar Welcome Pack, and make it a feature for new accounts. In May, Linden Lab would fully reverse the ban on gachas it enacted four years earlier and partially lifted in November 2024. The Lab would also occasionally offer gifts to Premium and Premium Plus residents. 

There was some expansion of Bellisseria in February, April, and September with the continued tradition of many of the sims having funny names. There would be four new types of Linden Homes. In February came the Tiki, underwater, which were perfect for Second Life's merfolk community. April had the Aspen Ridge Linden Home. In September came the Ridgewood Linden Home. While these expansions were taking place, areas with older pre-Belisseria Linden Homes would close down. Bellisseria would celebrate it's sixth anniversary in April, with the B6B event. 

 

Bread Oberwager would announced the number of monthly users had gone up to 620,000 in December.  This was further up from 500,000 last year. In November, the Second Life University videos by Linden Lab would resume after a two year hiatus This year, there were ome changes to billing and financial systems for buying and selling Linden dollars. The Lab made progress on it's mobile and webbrowser viewers. Firestorm would also launch a browser-based viewer, but like the Linden one, one needed to pay to use it.  

 

In September, the last member of the Lumiya Viewer staff announced she was trying to restore the platform, which it is believed may be ready sometime in 2026. The creator of one popular third-party viewer, Black Dragon, announced in October that he may have to stop updating it due to real-life, which will eventually render it obsolete.  

 

For owners of breedable pets, the owners of ABC horses got a shock when in January, Awesome Breed Creations, better known as ABC, effectively shut down when three members of it's staff left, saying they hadn't been paid in months, including the scriptor, who turned off the scripts and effectively turned off the breedables. Many horse owners were saddened, some who had invested tens of thousands of Linden dollars into their pets. Amaretto horses responded with a message of sympathy and an offer of a free starter pack. There was no sign of ABC's owner, who is thought to have "taken the money and ran."

 

Another controversy was when the store Bella Epoque was evicted from it's land when the owner Jani La Belle (Janire Coba) was suddenly told by her landlord to leave, her saying she was angrily told to depart because of the "gang of homo" she invited for an event. Unfazed, she made a shirt with the phrase "Gang of Homos," and she and supporters were wearing it as an act of pride in defiance. 

In August came some unwelcome news for the owners of "prim babies." Zooby, which made them, announced it was discontinuing support for them in January after switching production to mesh ones six years earlier. But in November, they announced support would continue.

Tripp Foxtail, announced he would be closing the Travellers Station and his other places in August, but within a few days stated a partial retraction, saying while others were still closing, the Travellers Station would stay. In October, Emerald City Golf Course announced it was facing financial trouble, but after a few weeks announced they had raised enough to continue, at least for now. But not all places in trouble got a reprieve. In late August, it was announced the Rosehaven community estates would be closing. Sadly it would get no break. 

Belisseria would be the subject of the Newser's April Fool joke. Firestorm had some joke warning alerts, "Due to a coding hiccup, all avatar voices have been replaced with chipmunk squeaks. Happy chatting!" Linden Lab got into the act by announcing they were offering upside down Linden Homes. One joke that went better than expected was one avatar maker offering carboard avatars as a joke, and were surprised when people kept buying them up.  

 

There were many events across Second Life. Among them were Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education in late March and early April, Mole Day, Hug and Dunk A Linden, the Love Train, Bellisseria's anniversary or B6B, the Bay City anniversary, the Sci-Fi con, Bay City Oktoberfest, Team Diabetes Scare Me Silly, Bellisseria Spooktober, The Multiverse Fair, Luna's Empire Ghost Hunt, The Dickens Project, Bay City Tree Trimming, Raglan Shire events such as Shocktober and Wootstock  Autism Australia, the monthly Homes For Our Troops Benefits.

 

There were the Valentine, SL Birthday, Halloween, and Christmas Shop and Hops. There were Burn2 events, the winter, spring, and summer spinnoff events and the main one in October, the theme being "Tomorrow Today."  One SL Burner got a surprise when her build in Second Life was being replicated at the real-life Burning Man. Bay City Prim Drop and various other New Year's Eve events.  And of course there was the Second Life Twenty Second Birthday, or SL22B, of which the theme was Myths and Legends. 

 

There were the events at the PBC, such as International Womens Day, Juneteenth, Fright Fest. and the "Meet the Author" event for yours truly and the novel he published, "The Corsean Encounter."

 

The Relay for Life would hold many events, not just during it's main fundraising season from February to June but across the year, the RFL Living Expo  the Relaystock (which took place early this year), Fly For Life, Bid the Lindens Bald, The Fantasy Faire, Outshop Cancer, Making Strides, the Christmas Expo, and of course the Relay Weekend. 

 

Two events would not happen this year. One was the Renaissance Festival in fall to raise money for the American Cancer Society. The other was the Veterans Tribute in November. Late November would see the end of the weekly Science Circle events. 

 

Among other places and groups having anniversaries the International Space Museum would turn twenty. So would the Second Life Coast Guard group.  Team Firestorm would turn fifteen. 

 

Sadly, some residents of Second Life would pass away this year. They included SL musician Reno Jones, artist Solana Python , club owner Jodi Eyre, commentator on SL and other virtual worlds Mal Burns, Crim Mip of Rosthaven and Wooburn, Melanippe of Themiscyra (Melanippe Karas), Tanarian Davies and Baron Klaus Wulfenbach (Klauswulfenbach Outlander) who were the same person behind the computer, builder and writer Luna Lunaria (apelles.luna), dancer Josiane Auster (Josiane Llewellyn), designer and decorator Crito Galtier, and singer Beccca Baxton.

 

For the Sunweaver community where the Newser office makes it's home, it would shine during the Relay season with it's Sunbeamer team, with the Sunbeamers Air Show and weekly Moon Dance. "The little team that could" would pass the one million Linden dollar and make Ruby.  Besides yours truly getting a book event at the Premier Business Center, in February, Nydia Tungsten would announce the third book in her Switched Destinies series, "Acceptance of Fate," was published. A friend of the Sunweavers/Angels would reopen the Urban Furry club. But sadly Club Squeaks would stop having regular events. 

 

There was also some Internet news. There was the continued debate about AI and if it was putting the economy at risk with a "bubble" due to burst soon, as well as debates about data centers and their demand for water. Skype would shut down in May. There was gaming controversy in the summer when it was discovered Steam was unlisting a number of Adult-rated games following pressure by credit card companies. In response, Paypal started blocking Steam in much of the world. October 2025 was a month some computer users dreaded. Microsoft was ending support for Windows 10. Users had the choice of filing for a one year extension, paying for a business version of the operating system, upgrading to Windows 11, or ditching Windows altogether and installing Linux. Most chose upgrading to 11. But there were complaints about bugs and unwanted instillation of AI. 

 

For the Newser, it's been a productive year which was more productive with the return of Netera Landar, as well as the many submissions send by readers. And we look forward to delivering you the news about the people, places, and events in Second Life in 2026.

 

Bixyl Shuftan

Editor

SL Newser