Multiple fan-run servers hosting the defunct Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine MMO have been shut down following a lawsuit from developer Atlus. For long-time fans of the series, it's devastating to discover that the game has been taken offline once more.
Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine was an MMO that ran from 2007 to 2016 in Japan, with an earlier closure in the west in 2014. The MMORPG served as a mid-point between the original game and its sequel, with the player contracting demons to fight for them as one would expect from the franchise as a whole. Unfortunately, once the title was taken offline, players were unable to revisit it, until fan servers came along and brought it back online.
In a recent discovery by Twitter user MarshSMT, two of the game's fan-hosted servers were hit with a lawsuit from Atlus. The lawsuit alleges that damage is being done to Atlus as a whole, claiming that the Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine fan-hosted versions of the game "caused and will continue to cause irreparable damage." As a result, Atlus' lawsuit has not only demanded that the sites and games be taken offline, but that the defendants, Rekuiemu and COMP_Hack, pay $25,000 USD per violation. Another fan group hosting the MMORPG has also shut down their version pre-emptively after becoming aware of the lawsuit targeting the other two.
As one might imagine, the fans aren't happy at this development. Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine has been officially offline in the west for eight years, with no indication having been made that it will ever come back in any form. The sued parties and ReImagine's version of the game shared the title for free, so Atlus wasn't losing money to them, as there is no official version available anymore. This sets the lawsuit apart from prior instances of developers and publishers suing those who've hosted their games online in the past. Nintendo previously sued a ROM site for not only hosting but also selling access to games from its catalog.
Atlus is arguably within its rights to demand that its creations be taken offline. However, it's not only a blow to the community, but also highlights a continuing problem of the game industry as a whole right now: a lack of game preservation. Titles like these, once taken offline, become completely defunct and don't allow a way for players to revisit them or experience what they were like. Fan hosted versions of MMORPGs can make this a possibility again, but it's ultimately up to each publisher and developer to decide if it's something they want to put a stop to. There's no one easy answer that will please developers and fans alike, but regardless of the right answer, the Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine community is stinging right now.
Source: Video Games Chronicle