Iconic Facebook game Farmville shutting down after 11 years
ZyngaAfter 11 years, the iconic online Facebook game FarmVille will be shutting down on December 31, 2020. Here’s what you need to know about why it’s going offline, what will be done about in-app purchases, and more.
In the mid-2000s and early 2010s, web games took the world by storm. Having the ability to play simple but fun games within your own web browser, without having to download any applications, was something that tons of companies took advantage of.
One of the more popular web-based games was FarmVille. The Facebook title attracted millions and millions of players during its time online, so while it might not be everyone’s cup of tea, there’s no denying its popularity. Unfortunately, it’s time is coming to an end.
Developer Zynga has announced that on December 31, 2020, FarmVille will finally be shutting down. The game was released on Facebook on June 19, 2009, which means it’s been over 11 years since its original launch date.
According to Zynga, the move was done because of the loss of support for Adobe Flash Player, the platform that the game is built on. While a lot of games built on the platform have transitioned to other services, FarmVille seems to have not made the jump.
In the lead-up to the game’s shutdown, the developer announced that the game’s microtransaction system will be shut off on November 17.
While no specific details were revealed, Zynga confirmed that it is working on some final activities and events for people to sink their teeth into before the shutdown.
While the loss of Flash Player was certainly the most defining reason why the game’s being shutdown, the game’s popularity is also more than likely to blame.
While there’s no telling the current player-count for FarmVille, there’s pretty much no denying it’s not anywhere close to where it once was, with the game bringing in millions and millions of players when it was its most popular in 2010 and 2011.