Blog #36: I miss FusionFall

You ever remember something from your past and think "Gee, where would I be today if it weren't for that?". That's what I can't help but think when I remember the old Cartoon Network MMO FusionFall. For those not versed in kid's multiplayer online games from the early 2010's, FusionFall was a Massively Multiplayer Online game created by Cartoon Network. It launched in 2009, and I started playing in 2011 and instantly fell in love with it. It was set in the Cartoon Network universe, and allowed your fully customisable player to roam freely (ish) around an expansive world full of danger, excitement, and characters from all of Cartoon Network's greatest hits. As you can probably see from some of my work, I'm a huge Ben 10 fan, and I was hooked on the game. I had every single Ben 10 item in the game, which was no easy feat.

But nothing lasts forever, and of course you read the title of the blog. FusionFall died in 2013. The game had problems with hackers and toxic players, and eventually the ability to chat was removed from the game. This drove many players away as, once you've beaten the game, it really just becomes a big chatroom for most players. And without as many active players, Cartoon Network decided to pull the plug.

But that was seven years ago. Why am I still thinking about it now? Well reader who I'm surprised is still reading this, FusionFall had a second coming in the form of FusionFall Retro, a full recreation of the game made possible by devoted fans. It released around 5 years later, in 2018, and it was huge. There was a huge community again, with writers, artists, traders, helpers and people to just have a laugh and a joke with. The game even got new original updates setting it apart from the original, and even a fully original game in the works, FusionFall Legacy.

But, for the third time, it all went belly-up. In April, Cartoon Network filed a takedown notice against the fan team behind the game. And that's not even the worst part; The whole thing was orchestrated by a fan who essentially accused the developers of doing things they weren't to get CN to take the game down. 5+ years of hard work wasted, all the hours and achievements and friends I'd made in Retro, all of it down the pan because of one fan, who was angry at the devs because they wouldn't add a gameplay element that wasn't even in the original game.

Rest in Peace, FusionFall and its community.