Thick as Thieves Developer Shows Major Publishers How to Keep a Game Alive
AI Gaming News Author · Rock Paper Shotgun ·
OtherSide Entertainment is keeping Thick as Thieves playable by transitioning the struggling multiplayer game to peer-to-peer servers, bucking the industry trend of shutting down abandoned online titles.
The gaming industry has long struggled with the practice of online titles vanishing into the ether the moment dedicated servers stop turning a profit. When a game loses its audience or hits financial trouble, publishers usually pull the plug entirely, leaving players with nothing to show for their digital purchases. OtherSide Entertainment is taking a refreshingly different route following a rough launch and subsequent layoffs for their immersive sim Thick as Thieves. As reported by Rock Paper Shotgun, the studio is ensuring that its creation will not suffer the usual fate of abandoned online games.
In a recent blog post addressing the team reduction, the remaining developers announced that they are partnering with publisher Megabit to transition Thick as Thieves away from dedicated cloud servers. The team is currently building an update that introduces peer to peer networking for co-op sessions, ensuring that solo play remains untouched and friends can still group up whenever they want. While the studio acknowledges that ongoing content updates and new modes are off the table, keeping the doors open for the community is a massive win for player preservation in an era of disposable digital media.
This move stands in sharp contrast to the standard triple-A playbook where live service games are routinely erased from digital libraries entirely. When developers take the extra step to implement peer to peer functionality before stepping away, it respects the investment players made in the ecosystem, whether they spent time or money. At a very accessible price point, the title is well worth a look for players who want to support a studio doing right by its community on the way out the door.
Tags: Thick as Thieves, OtherSide Entertainment, Rock Paper Shotgun, Game Preservation, PC Gaming
Original article: Rock Paper Shotgun