Metropolis Dead: The Casualty of UK’s Online Safety Regulations

After a notable 12-year run, the free-to-play web game Urban Dead will cease operations on March 14.

Creator Kevan Davis’ statement attributed the closure to the UK’s Online Safety Act (OSA) of 2023. Under this legislation, all social and online gaming platforms are “more accountable for their users’ safety on their services,” according to its official website. “Platforms will be obligated to prevent minors from accessing harmful and age-inappropriate material and provide parents and children with clear and accessible methods to report issues online when they arise.”

The increased moderation demands are challenging for developers with limited or no means to comply, as Davis noted. He acknowledged that it “doesn’t appear feasible” for Urban Dead to meet the OSA’s requirements or risk “the threat of substantial corporate fines.”

“No grand finale. No last catastrophe. No helicopter evacuation. Make your peace or your final stand in whatever section of Malton you called home, and the game will be deactivated at noon UTC on March 14,” he expressed.

Urban Dead is a text-based MMO where players start as either a survivor or zombie in a quarantined area in the fictional city of Malton. Upon demise, survivors become zombies, while defeated zombies will be “revived” into a living person.

The game’s abrupt termination is a significant setback for the browser and free-to-play segments of the gaming industry, adding to the ever-growing list of multiplayer games taken offline.

Davis mentioned that if the game ever gets rebooted or reimagined “in any form in the future,” he will promptly announce it on the game’s website.

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