On Thursday, June 30, the developers behind the popular game Moirai have updated the game to make it unplayable. This was not by accident, either.
Seemingly coming out of the blue, the developers released a community announcement on Steam. You can view the entire announcement here. The developers thanked the fans and provided insight behind the decision to end the game. The reasons included consistent database attacks and the financial commitment that came with the free to play game.
“I think it’s important for us to point out that Moirai has always been a completely free game. It’s a project that we haven’t financially gained from. We are also personally paying regular monthly costs to maintain the game. We do this because it’s important for us that these different experiences exist out in the world.” – Chris, John, and Brad
This extremely short title rose in popularity due to the unexpected twist. If you haven’t played the game, even though you might not ever, an obligatory spoiler alert is in effect.
You are asked by the town priest to find a woman named Julia. Your search takes you to a cave, wherein you run into a bloodied man with a knife. You question him about moaning noises you heard, the knife, and the blood, then you can choose to kill him or let him pass.
Going further through the cave, you find Julia, covered in blood and suffering. If you choose to end her suffering like she asks, you get covered in blood. If you don’t, she gets enraged and spits blood all over you.
On your way out of the cave, you run into a man. He questions you about moaning noises he heard, the knife, and the blood all over you. you type in your own responses, and the game ends.
Where the twist comes into play is that while it felt like you were playing a singleplayer game, you were technically playing a multiplayer game. The man you questioned at the beginning was the last person to play the game before you; the man who questions you is the next player to play Moirai. It’s a clever and fun little twist that is revealed with the completion of the game. Although for some people, the ending can be a bit obvious:
It’s a clever and fun little twist that is revealed with the completion of the game. After inputting your email address, you are sent an email containing the dialogue with the next player and whether or not they spared you.
While Moirai may be unplayable for now, there may be a resurrection of the game at some point in the future.