The well-known Japanese video game developer, publisher, and distribution company, Atlus, is suing fans for hosting servers intended to keep their MMO alive. The MMO in question is the Shine Megami Tensei MMO, Imagine Online, which is set in post-apocalyptic Tokyo.
The MMO, officially known as Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine, was first released in Japan in 2007. Subsequently, the developers released the game to Americans a year after, then to European players a year after that. Unfortunately, the company behind the IP decided to “kill off” the semi-famous MMORPG way back in May 2016, which was less than a decade after it was officially released.
Fortunately for its fans, Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine saw a revival as Imagine Online four years after its death in the hands of Atlus. The game was revived in 2020 by other dedicated fans who hosted their own servers to keep the game from being available to players. These dedicated fans not only provided the servers for the game itself, but they also built a website and created a launcher to preserve (or at least show the illusion of) the genuine “feel” of the now-dead MMORPG.
But life isn’t always fair. Instead of being rewarded for their job well done of preserving a piece of MMO history and bringing joy and entertainment to fans of the video game, the dedicated fans who are behind the revival of Shin Megami Tensei: Imagine are now facing a lawsuit filed by Atlus itself.
Groups of the game’s fans, under the names Rekuiemu and COMP_Hack are now under fire due to the unwelcomed action done by the massive Japanese video game company.
You can view the official statement of the Re:Imagine team below:
Seeing that the teams’ website and servers are now down, not to mention the lawsuit that is now requiring the aforementioned teams to appear in court, there’s no doubt that the once-dead-but-resurrected MMO is now dead again, and most definitely for good.