Ramen VR, the developer behind the virtual reality MMORPG Zenith, has announced that the game’s servers will officially shut down on December 19th.
End of an Era for Zenith
Launched in 2022 with significant funding, Zenith: The Last City aimed to be a groundbreaking VR MMORPG. Despite initial promise and securing tens of millions of dollars in investment, the game has struggled with declining player numbers. Ramen VR made efforts to revive the player base, including transitioning to a free-to-play model for its second iteration, Zenith: Infinite Realms. However, these measures proved insufficient to retain players and overcome the financial challenges of maintaining a live-service game.
Timeline of the Shutdown
In July 2024, Ramen VR had already signaled the game’s eventual demise by announcing the cessation of further content updates for Zenith. At that time, the developers stated that the servers for both the paid version, Zenith: The Last City, and the free-to-play version, Zenith: Infinite Realms, would remain operational for the “foreseeable future” to allow players to continue enjoying the game.
The official shutdown date has now been confirmed. Servers will go offline on December 19th at 2:00 AM Beijing time. In preparation for the shutdown, Ramen VR stopped selling the paid version of Zenith: The Last City and its in-game premium currency, Zennies, on October 21st.
Availability Before Shutdown
Players who wish to experience Zenith before its closure can still download the game. It is available on the Meta Horizon Store for Quest 2 and newer headsets, and can also be played on PC VR headsets via Steam. This marks the imminent end for an online game that once captivated a considerable VR audience.
The closure of Zenith highlights the challenges faced by developers in the VR gaming space, particularly in sustaining ambitious, large-scale online experiences.
