Had a new FR dream (well, part of a dream in an anthology one). Maybe it was the exploration of residual memories or maybe it was its own thing. Regardless, I was aware I was dreaming when I had this, but nevertheless I let it flow on.
On August 8th, 2022, there was an announcement on the main page. The rights to Flight Rising had been bought by The Walt Disney Corporation. Stormlight Archives would no longer control the site. Most of the original staff left with them. Only Undel and Xhatzol remained, with new employees such as Naydran, Keele, Ozral and Qarth taking the others' places. The news sent the forums into flaming turmoil. One side cried the end of times. Just look at what happened to Club Penguin. The other side was cautiously optimistic. Maybe it won't be so bad, they said. The visceral arguments were more than enough for some to quit immediately. But still, many continued to play.
For the first couple months, it was roughly the same. Apart from the bold DISNEY insignia on the bottom of the page and above the logo, Flight Rising felt (roughly) the same. Some new dragon plush merchandise even got people hopeful that it would not be bad. June 22nd, 2023 was when the Magic Mouse influence truly became visible. It was supposed to be the big anniversary, with a great Brightshine to match. The celebratory anniversary feature was announced: a revamp of festivals. With the revamp came a new EXCLUSIVE set of apparel and familairs, available to those who handed over a hefty chunk of gems. It would be difficult, even for high gem-makers to pay for. The only easy way to get them was money. Another wave of flame wars and deserters. The survivors became smaller. It was a sign of worse to come.
Plague was the next to suffer. While censorship against Plague had always been known, with 2023 came the most extreme form yet. Cartoon rot was discarded. Not even zombies like Luminax were spared. Disease was softened until the name Plague was the only remainder of its origins. Soon it spread to the other flights, with horror and darker aspects fading away. The Beastclans were swiftly forgotten.
The decay was not only limited to the grim and gritty. Dragons in art became more humanoid and less draconic. Apparel became makeup, wigs, modern clothes and accessories, and maybe a reference to a quickly-outdated meme. Requests for weapons and everyday clothing were ignored. Drunk with power and live-action reboots, Disney shifted the festivals to focus on crossovers with whatever IP they wanted to promote at the moment. No more normal apparel or familiars, only the new Toy Story-MCU crossover or whatever it was now. Still, the remainders hoped. Maybe it would get better. The new Modern breed was on the way (albeit with crunch concerns after Undel quit because of "creative differences"), so hopefully- hopefully it would go up from there.
It was the day of the new breed. Everyone was hyped and desperately clicking, hoping maintenance would end early. After what appeared to be hours, the site was ready. The new Modern was....
That was it. That was the breaking point. Apart from a few stubborn scavengers, the majority of the pre-acquisition players fled the site. Those who remained barely fed their dragons. Apart from occasional forums posts, there was not much to really do. After all, they now charged bio editing. In fact, the importance of the dragons themselves dwindled away (as evidenced by the new Modern). Even they did not seem to matter anymore. Flight Rising might have had dozens of changes, but it barely felt like the same website it once was. What remained was a pathetic husk of a once grand web-game.
Seven years after the Big Change, in 2029, Flight Rising was a walking corpse. Rumors were going around that Disney would close the site and scavenge its corpse for any potential cash cows. At this point, players who abandoned ship years ago returned to bid their final farewells. I remembered the beginning and would be there until the very end.
Apologies for any grammar issues, very tired haha.
On August 8th, 2022, there was an announcement on the main page. The rights to Flight Rising had been bought by The Walt Disney Corporation. Stormlight Archives would no longer control the site. Most of the original staff left with them. Only Undel and Xhatzol remained, with new employees such as Naydran, Keele, Ozral and Qarth taking the others' places. The news sent the forums into flaming turmoil. One side cried the end of times. Just look at what happened to Club Penguin. The other side was cautiously optimistic. Maybe it won't be so bad, they said. The visceral arguments were more than enough for some to quit immediately. But still, many continued to play.
For the first couple months, it was roughly the same. Apart from the bold DISNEY insignia on the bottom of the page and above the logo, Flight Rising felt (roughly) the same. Some new dragon plush merchandise even got people hopeful that it would not be bad. June 22nd, 2023 was when the Magic Mouse influence truly became visible. It was supposed to be the big anniversary, with a great Brightshine to match. The celebratory anniversary feature was announced: a revamp of festivals. With the revamp came a new EXCLUSIVE set of apparel and familairs, available to those who handed over a hefty chunk of gems. It would be difficult, even for high gem-makers to pay for. The only easy way to get them was money. Another wave of flame wars and deserters. The survivors became smaller. It was a sign of worse to come.
Plague was the next to suffer. While censorship against Plague had always been known, with 2023 came the most extreme form yet. Cartoon rot was discarded. Not even zombies like Luminax were spared. Disease was softened until the name Plague was the only remainder of its origins. Soon it spread to the other flights, with horror and darker aspects fading away. The Beastclans were swiftly forgotten.
The decay was not only limited to the grim and gritty. Dragons in art became more humanoid and less draconic. Apparel became makeup, wigs, modern clothes and accessories, and maybe a reference to a quickly-outdated meme. Requests for weapons and everyday clothing were ignored. Drunk with power and live-action reboots, Disney shifted the festivals to focus on crossovers with whatever IP they wanted to promote at the moment. No more normal apparel or familiars, only the new Toy Story-MCU crossover or whatever it was now. Still, the remainders hoped. Maybe it would get better. The new Modern breed was on the way (albeit with crunch concerns after Undel quit because of "creative differences"), so hopefully- hopefully it would go up from there.
It was the day of the new breed. Everyone was hyped and desperately clicking, hoping maintenance would end early. After what appeared to be hours, the site was ready. The new Modern was....
That was it. That was the breaking point. Apart from a few stubborn scavengers, the majority of the pre-acquisition players fled the site. Those who remained barely fed their dragons. Apart from occasional forums posts, there was not much to really do. After all, they now charged bio editing. In fact, the importance of the dragons themselves dwindled away (as evidenced by the new Modern). Even they did not seem to matter anymore. Flight Rising might have had dozens of changes, but it barely felt like the same website it once was. What remained was a pathetic husk of a once grand web-game.
Seven years after the Big Change, in 2029, Flight Rising was a walking corpse. Rumors were going around that Disney would close the site and scavenge its corpse for any potential cash cows. At this point, players who abandoned ship years ago returned to bid their final farewells. I remembered the beginning and would be there until the very end.
Apologies for any grammar issues, very tired haha.
Call me Requacy (Pinging Allowed!)(Note to self: Make art for signature)
Tea/Bird
