Once upon a time I spent a lot of my free time over in various forums. Of those, the one that I’ve spent the most time being active on was the Pinkerton Road board. I backed the Pinkerton Road Kickstarter back when it ran in 2012 and since then I’ve been keeping more-or-less close watch on the goings on of the company that I helped fund. Even so, it has also been quite a while since I had frequented the site as I have been busy with other things like writing for Cliqist. That said, Pinkerton Road was like a second home to myself and plenty of other people.
As I have already mentioned, news has reached me that the forums are being shut down today due to infrastructure costs and lackluster sales of their two released games, Moebius and Gabriel Knight 20th Anniversary. Both of which I thought were good games, but I’m also biased not just as a backer but also as someone who got early access to both games and helped with the social media blitz over at Phoenix Online Studios. That said, I suppose I did sort of see something coming but it still hit me pretty bad when the news of the closing dropped.
What exactly does this mean for people like myself that spent so much time perusing and commenting in the Pinkerton Road forums? Well, for starters it’ll mean that we won’t be able to have any more discussions there. I’ve personally gotten to know quite a few people through the forums and formed lasting relationships there. I’ve been there for the good and the bad and the ugly, the silly and the serious. That’s something that makes a forum like Pinkerton Road’s special. It’s the people you meet and interact with.
Now, I will admit that I moved away from the Pinkerton Road forums over time, mostly due to other commitments and lack of being able to spend hours chatting with others. That said, I was a member from the day they launched and I’ve logged in over 1500 comments over the years earning me the coveted Schattenjäger title. However, as they say all good things must come to an end.
That’s not to say that Pinkerton Road fans won’t still have a home elsewhere. For those that know, Phoenix Online Studios developed both titles as well as published Moebius. And according to the post that Katie made announcing this move board members are welcome to continue the discussions over at their forums. Which means that while one door closes another one opens. So to speak. It feels like the end of an era but perhaps it’s also the beginning of another.
With all that said, those of us that have been along for the ride throughout the years have been treated with pretty much nothing but respect by Jane and Robert and all of the moderators. Things have gotten out of hand at times, but that’s the nature of forums, even one as enjoyable as the one at Pinkerton Road. It’s always sad to see a message board close up, but at least the reasoning behind it all makes sense. And I respect this decision.
