What is the future of Meridian 59? It’s a tough question these days. The recent announcement of the game’s purchase raises even more questions: Will we really receive updates? If the price is cheaper than it was in 2000, then how much, then, will it be?
It’s difficult to tell what the future holds, but a few things are certain.
When Meridian 59 closed down, there was an overwhelming sense of loss among the community. The threads that held that community together had been cut apart. Let’s not forget that the community was the driving force behind Meridian 59. It was not 3DO or the Bards, it wasn’t even the game: it was just the community.
When the ten commercial Meridian 59 servers closed down at 4:00 PM PDT on August 31st, 2000, a family was split apart. Most people moved on to EverQuest or other games; many had done so before the close had even occurred. In other words, people moved on.
It was frequently said that “Meridian Lives!” The German servers became available to foreign players, and the community, while wounded, did live on. However, when the German servers closed, Meridian 59’s community seemed to be fatally wounded. Without the threads of a single, real, supported set of servers (or single server) to hold the community together, it began to break up.
Various small illegal servers exist, but they do not have the consistency to hold anything but a small hardcore community together. However, with the purchasing of the rights by two Americans, who not only have a reputation of doing good work on Meridian 59 before, but are also committed to the game, that state may change if the community lets it.
A cornerstone is needed, and like it or not, an officially supported server is the only way that the community can attract more players, both new and old, to give Meridian 59 a magical life again, rather than one of strife and desperation to survive.
If we just take the time and patience to support Near Death Studios as they try to work out a way for us to play the game we love in the most ideal environment possible, and if we expect the best, we may in fact get the best.
We need Near Death Studios for Meridian 59 to survive. We may have gotten comfortable in the unofficial, unsupported, multi-server piracy of the past, but the future holds something a lot brighter and, admittedly, a lot different. We adapted when 3DO closed Meridian 59 down; now we need to adapt again to support Meridian 59’s rebirth.
That’s not to say that there are no complications or obstacles to overcome, but the most important thing here is community support. Meridian 59’s community is more powerful than any owner or licensee of Meridian 59’s server software ever has been, or ever will be. It’s us that will save Meridian, by supporting these changes. I hope we remember that in the exciting months to come for Meridian 59 players.

*-Sindar-*

Source: Sindar - sindar@gilcon.net