Popular ROM hack hosting site ROMHacking.net is closing its doors after 20 years, it has been announced.
Citing increased workload, legal pressure and abuse of resources, ROMHacking.net admin Nightcrawler has confirmed that the site database – minus user account information – files and images have been uploaded to the Internet Archive. Submissions have been closed, and all sections of the site will shift into read-only status. The forum will remain live, but social media accounts have been closed.
"It’s been a good near 20 year run, but for various reasons it’s time to wind things down," says the statement. "The site achieved almost everything it set out to do, and far exceeded it. We joined hacking and translation communities together for the first time ever. We outlasted and eclipsed ROM hacking sites that came before us. We brought ROM hacking from niche and fragmented to global and centralized. We assembled the largest force of ROM hackers on the planet. We brought learning resources and accessibility to a much wider range of people. We made major progress legitimizing and pulling ROM hacking from underground dark web type material to something much more accepted by the mainstream. We paved a much easier path for all of those that will come after us. No doubt, this site changed ROM hacking forever. It will leave behind the legacy of those accomplishments to remember."
The statement adds that "things sure have changed since the beginning days," before saying:
I miss the times when I was able to interact with a smaller group of supportive people to collaborate with rather than the entire world. Having gone from an unknown fledgling site to an infinitely growing and globally known one made sustainability very challenging. The site became so busy with 24/7 use, endless queues, and an endless inbox. It’s a very different world than it was in 2005. Copyright pressures increased dramatically with takedowns and legal burden. The site shifted from serving mostly contributing humans to bots and overzealous people abusing resources. They drowned everybody else out. The need for the site has lessened over time. There are now many options for community discussions, open source projects, and file storage across the Internet. For a while, I was looking to find a successor within the circles of site supporters. I asked several potential people, but the stars did not align.
Nightcrawler explains that the process of winding things down began last year, and there were hopes that an "internal group" would take over control of the site:
I questioned their intentions, but I thought it could prove to be a more community friendly path forward. However, it turned out to be the opposite. We had a rocky phase 1, moving the downloads into their possession. When I went to startup phase 2, I discovered a most dishonest and hate-filled group. I learned that I had been dehumanized for a very long time. My personal details had been given out. Secret deceitful plots had been made to cut me out, and drop a bomb like I am a target to destroy. My family has seen this and after discussion, we are immediately ceasing all related site operations. We are cutting ties to Discord and Twitter social media outlets, and will have no further contact with these individuals. Lines were crossed. I had hoped this community especially would have learned from what happened to Near. This behavior is not OK for handling disagreements, miscommunication, anger, or anything else.
It's worth noting that one of the people involved with the site, GideonZhi, has contested this version of events in a lengthy Twitter thread:
Despite this unpleasant episode, Nightcrawler has high hopes for the future of ROMHacking.net, whatever form that may take.
"I look forward to seeing what projects will emerge with the site data for the next generation. From what I have seen, it may be a good time to start an open source initiative for a new site. I’d love to hear about what projects you are working on! I thank all of the many staff and community members whom kept the wheels turning and the lights on over the years. I am proud of our many accomplishments here together. I will carry forward remembering the good times, laughing about the bad times, and knowing she was right for the time, but time has a way of moving on."
There are alternatives out there, thankfully – such as the excellent ROMhacks.org – but this is a sad day for the world of ROM hacking.
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