With support for Adobe Flash Player ceasing by the end of this year, sites that host flash games are finding ways to change. In the case of Kongregate, many essential features are being cut as the company prepares for what is to come.
Today, Kongregate announced via a forum post that many features on the site are going away, and perhaps the most surprising news for many will be that the site is not allowing uploads of new flash games. Previously, anyone who created a game was able to upload their title for anyone to play, which is why the website has "over 128,000 titles." Another key feature hitting the chopping block is badges. Badges were achievements of varying difficulty, which were periodically added into popular games. Players were granted points upon earning a badge.
Kongregate is also famous for its chat features. While playing a game, users can talk with each other in a "chat room." On July 22, most chat rooms are closing down in addition to "non-gaming" forums.
The statement on the forums says:
During the intervening years, Kongregate as a company has grown and adjusted with those industry-wide changes. Today our business is largely focused on developing games and flash, as you are aware, is slowly going away. That means that Kongregate.com will need to evolve as well.
It is worth noting that the company is still supporting Kartridge, a gaming platform where you can purchase titles - it operates like Steam and GOG. Kartridge has essentially the same features as Kongregate, such as chat rooms and badges; only, this is a curated platform that has downloadable games instead of Adobe Flash. Kongregate also continues to "focus on developing games," according to the post. Most of these titles are on mobile, however, some can be found on Kartridge and Steam, like Realm Grinder.
Quick Take
It's actually sad to see this happen. I know how dramatic this sounds, but were it not for Kongregate, I don't know if I'd be into game journalism today. I used to write about flash games on my own little blog for practice, and I think my love for this medium flourished from there. I also have friends from the chat rooms that I talk to every single day, years and years later. They're some of my best friends. It's a little sad that other people won't be able to experience the same thing anymore. Though the site isn't gone, it feels effectively dead.
What do you think about these changes to Kongregate? Let us know in the comments below!
