Key Takeaways
1. Myrient, a platform for preserving retro video games, will shut down next month due to rising costs of RAM and storage.
2. The founder, Alexey, has stopped uploads and urged users to download content before the servers go offline.
3. Myrient operated without ads and relied on donations, but these have not kept pace with increasing operational costs.
4. Commercial entities exploited the platform by using specialized download managers, taking advantage of its lack of download limits.
5. Alexey mentioned there are additional undisclosed reasons for the closure beyond financial issues.
Another day brings another casualty to the soaring costs of RAM and storage. Myrient, a notable project dedicated to preserving retro video games and boasting a huge library of 390 TB, is set to close its doors next month.
Service Shutdown
Uploads to the platform have already ceased, with founder Alexey encouraging users to grab any content they want while the servers are still operational. Since it started, Myrient has functioned without ads, relying solely on donations from its supporters, and it did not impose any download limits.
Issues with Altruism
Recently, however, Alexey has stated that the noble intentions behind Myrient have been exploited by commercial entities that have developed specialized download managers to take advantage of the absence of download restrictions. Additionally, Alexey points out that the expense of running such a storage-heavy service has surged significantly, while donations have not kept up with the rising traffic.
This explanation is completely reasonable, especially considering the tremendous increases in storage prices and essential hardware over the past few quarters. The soaring demands from data centers have severely impacted supply chains, and the future outlook appears grim based on recent findings.
Unspoken Details
Alexey also mentioned that there are “many other smaller reasons” for the closure, but he opted not to disclose them.
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