It's always a shame when multiplayer games, not just MMOs, get shut down and left in the dark forever. Such was the fate of the medieval survival sandbox Life is Feudal: the MMO went into Early Access in 2018, but was finally shut down three years later, apparently due to financial problems and disagreements between developer Bitbox and publisher Xsolla.

So you would expect hardcore fans of realistic medieval MMOs to react with joy and excitement when they hear that "Life is Feudal" is being revived by a new publisher. Wouldn't you?

Not so. On the official Discord, the May 30 announcement of Life of Feudal's resurrection was met with 95 crying and laughing emojis, 74 poops, 62 clowns, and a group effort to spell the word S-C-A-M with an emoji. To be fair, there were also 35 thumbs up. I attribute this to people being genuinely happy (though some of them may not have read the announcements carefully).

So what is the problem? Why aren't fans happy to see new life breathed into MMOs?

First, the price: Life Is Feudal's new publisher, Long Tale Games, is currently running a playtest with a $20 entry fee. This price doesn't seem entirely out of line until you realize that it's not the price of the game, but the price of a monthly subscription. [It's more expensive than the monthly fees for MMOs like "World of Warcraft," "Eve Online," "PC Game Pass," or any other game for that matter. All you get for that price is access to playtests. The monthly fee is required even for those who purchased the game when it was sold on Steam, and costs between $30 and $100, depending on the version.

It is not particularly clear what you get with a subscription." The announcement goes on to say, "With a subscription, you will receive monthly bonuses and items that will not unbalance the game. The longer the subscription, the more substantial these benefits will be." We will provide more details about this rewards system closer to the game's release."

Perhaps that information can be provided at ...... Would you know while they are accepting "now is the time" $20/month subscriptions?

There are other red flags besides price. The website of new publisher Long Tale Games states that it is "experimenting with variations of game reimaginings and relaunches" and "employing innovative monetization strategies and groundbreaking user acquisition techniques" that span "from classic games to web3" (ahhh) and has a "diverse portfolio."

Well, that "diverse" game portfolio currently only includes Life is Feudal: but the press release talking about Web3, monetization strategies, and plans to add a "dynamic economic system" to Life is Feudal, which one of many attempts to bring the blockchain to gaming, which has set off alarm bells on Discord (and in my own head).

When I tried to sign up for a playtest, I was directed to a site called Babka, which I had never heard of, but which offers "a secure, cross-Web2 and Web3 portal for your favorite games, exclusive drops, and a revolutionary loyalty program (coming soon). portal for payments." Personally, I don't have the confidence to put down $20 a month.

It sucks to see a multiplayer game shut down, and the possibility of a new life with a new publisher is encouraging. However, the extreme skepticism of "Life is Feudal" fans and the many signs that MMOs are becoming blockchain games ...... I won't say I agree with the Discord emoji that this is definitely S-C-A-M, but I have to agree with the poop emoji. How about bringing back "City of Heroes" or "Warhammer Online" in a fun run.