When Games End: How to Archive Player Data Ethically (Lessons from New World)

When games end, players lose more than playtime — they lose history, identity, and often money. With Amazon's New World scheduled to go offline on January 31, 2027, studios and storefronts must treat shutdowns as a policy problem, not just a technical event.

Live-service shutdowns are a recurring headache for gamers and storefront operators in 2026: high-latency streaming and subscription churn collide with increasingly vocal calls for consumer rights and digital preservation. This article lays out a practical, policy-forward playbook—drawn from the New World wind-down and recent industry trends—for offering data exports, handling refunds, and building archival tools that respect players and protect storefront reputation.

Why archiving and ethical shutdowns matter now (2026 context)

The market saw more visible shutdowns in 2024–2026, raising questions about consumer protections and digital legacy. Regulators and preservation advocates pushed for better data portability and shutdown transparency across 2025–2026. At the same time, storefronts face reputational risk and legal exposure when in-game purchases and player data are abandoned.

Amazon’s announcement that New World would be delisted immediately but playable until January 31, 2027, and that microtransactions (Marks of Fortune) stop selling from July 20, 2026 with no refunds, crystallized the hard choices studios make during a shutdown. That approach is operationally simple but leaves players frustrated and storefronts liable to consumer backlash—exactly the scenarios policy-forward planning avoids.

“We want to thank the players for your dedication and passion… We are grateful for the time spent crafting the world of Aeternum with you.” — New World official statement (2026)

Principles every studio and storefront should adopt

1. 12-month minimum public notice — Treat shutdowns as extended operations, not sudden events. Public notice gives players time to export, play, and make purchasing decisions.
2. Data portability by default — Offer downloadable, machine-readable exports (JSON/CSV) of all personal and account data, plus an easy UI to request them.
3. Transparent currency policy — Clearly state whether in-game currency and consumables are refundable, convertible to store credit, or nonrefundable; announce buy-stops with at least 6 months’ notice.
4. Privacy-first archiving — Protect other players’ personal data when exporting chat or social graphs: consent and anonymization are mandatory.
5. Community-first exit options — Provide technical options for community hosting, open-source ports, or transfers to third-party custodians where feasible.
6. Regulatory compliance — Meet GDPR/CCPA-style data portability and retention rules and monitor policy shifts in 2026 for evolving obligations.

Actionable shutdown timeline: what to do and when

Below is a practical timeline studios and storefronts can adopt. Adjust the total window, but aim for at least a 12-month public lead time when possible.

12+ months before final offline date

• Publish a public shutdown roadmap with dates for delisting, purchase cutoffs, data export availability, and the final offline date.
• Start a legal and technical inventory: list all data types, third-party services, escrowed assets, and active commerce flows. Use the inventory to map where security risks at scale could affect user data and refunds.
• Engage preservation partners (Internet Archive, Video Game History Foundation) to evaluate archival needs.

6–9 months before

• Enable an Export My Data endpoint in the account UI and through an authenticated API. Allow exports of account profile, transaction history, characters, inventory, achievements, screenshots, and non-sensitive chat logs (with consent).
• Announce the in-game currency buy-stop date and outline refund/credit options. Allow players to convert currency into a one-time store credit if full refunds are impractical.
• Test export workflows at scale; measure processing time, failure rates, and average payload size.

3 months before

• Deliver a downloadable archive pack (standardized manifest + media) for players who request it. Offer both raw (JSON, PNG, MP4) and presentation-friendly (PDF, ZIP) formats.
• Provide technical guidance and tools for community servers, including sanitized server binaries, save file formats, and documentation—subject to IP and legal constraints.
• Open a dedicated support channel for export and refund requests; staff it to meet demand spikes. Rationalize tool choices and staffing to avoid costly tool sprawl during peak volume.

30 days before

• Send direct emails and in-client banners with explicit steps to export data and claim refunds or credits.
• Lock purchases of consumables if agreed in advance; prevent new recurring subscriptions from renewing.
• Publish an archival report: numbers of exports completed, refunds issued, and third-party custodians engaged.

Final day and post-shutdown

• Preserve final server state, logs, and a manifest file in a durable, checksummed archive accessible to approved preservation partners.
• Provide a post-shutdown support window (90 days recommended) for final export and refund issues.
• Consider open-sourcing server code or transferring server assets to a community custodian with clear licensing.

What to include in a player data export (practical spec)

Make exports useful and interoperable. Use standard formats and include a manifest.json for machine consumption.

{
  "manifest": {"title": "Aeternum Account Export", "version": 1, "generated": "2026-10-01T12:00:00Z"},
  "player": {"player_id": "12345", "display_name": "Azura", "created": "2021-08-12T09:30:00Z"},
  "characters": [
    {"char_id": "c1", "name": "AzuraBlade", "level": 60, "class": "Musketeer", "stats": {...}}
  ],
  "inventory": [{"item_id":"i1001","name":"Sword of Dawn","quantity":1}],
  "transactions": [{"tx_id":"tx999","amount":49.99,"currency":"USD","type":"expansion","date":"2023-11-02"}],
  "media": ["screens/azura_1.png","video/raid_2024.mp4"],
  "privacy": {"chat_exports_included": true, "chat_consent_obtained": true}
}

Key export fields: characters, inventory, transaction receipts, achievement timelines, guild membership, media (screenshots/videos), and a privacy manifest. For chat logs, include only messages involving the requesting account, and redact other players' personal details unless they consent.

Refund and compensation models (policy options with formulas)

Complete refunds for all purchases are often financially impossible. Here are ethically defensible models used by consumer platforms in 2025–2026:

• Prorated cash refunds — Refund based on remaining official service time and not consumed content. Formula: refund = purchase_price * max(0, (remaining_days / total_active_days_at_purchase)).
• Store credit conversion — Convert unused in-game currency into general store credit at a fixed rate (e.g., 80% of real-money value). Store credits are politically easier for studios with thin margins.
• Partial refunds for DLC/expansions — If DLC functionality depended on online services, offer prorated refunds or replacement single-player content where possible.
• One-time goodwill packages — Offer loyalty credits, discount vouchers, or a curated archive pack for veterans to acknowledge community investment.

Example policy language (short): “Purchases of consumables made after July 20, 2026 will not be refunded. For remaining consumables purchased before that date, eligible players can request a prorated refund or choose store credit. Requests must be submitted by April 30, 2027.”

Protecting privacy and complying with regulation

Data exports and archives must satisfy privacy laws and platform terms. Practical rules:

• Honor deletion requests under GDPR/CCPA, but communicate how deletion affects exportability and refunds.
• Ensure exports contain only the requestor’s personal data; anonymize third-party data.
• Keep logs of export generation (audit trail) to meet regulatory inquiries; consider OLAP-style stores for large log sets like those described in ClickHouse-like guidance.

Technical options for long-term access

Studios can choose multiple preservation routes depending on IP risk and resources:

• Read-only archival servers — Keep a locked copy of the live environment for research and historical access, accessible to partnered archives. See related work on edge streaming and emulation for preservation approaches.
• Community server handoff — Provide sanitized server binaries, save states, and documentation under a community license; community hubs and off-platform custodians are explored in interoperable community hub playbooks.
• Single-player conversion — Modify game to run locally without online systems (a “legacy client”), if feasible and legally permitted.
• Open-source release — Release source under a controlled license to allow community maintenance while protecting IP and monetization avenues. Guidance on balancing open-source strategy is discussed in open-source strategy analyses.

Case study: New World — what happened and what could have been better

Amazon gave players a clear final offline date (Jan 31, 2027) and stopped sales of in-game currency months in advance, but the company’s policy of no refunds for Marks of Fortune sparked criticism. Lessons from New World’s approach:

• Publish a sooner buy-stop for microtransactions (good) but pair it with compensation options for players who hold unused currency (better).
• Ensure export tooling is available immediately after the delisting—don’t wait until the final months. Consider deploying edge-powered PWAs to keep export UIs responsive during high load.
• Offer a public, machine-readable archive manifest so researchers and fans can locate preserved artifacts (best practice).

Practical developer checklist (one-page)

• Declare shutdown timeline publicly (dates for delist, buy-stop, offline).
• Implement Export My Data with manifest & download URLs.
• Publish currency/refund policy and a simple claim form.
• Sanitize and package server assets for community transfer where possible.
• Engage preservation partners and prepare archival storage (checksummed, redundant).
• Staff support channels and measure SLA for export/refund processing.
• Log and publish post-shutdown outcomes for transparency and learning.

How storefronts should change policy in 2026–2027

Storefronts (PC and console) are gatekeepers for purchases and can set standards that protect consumers:

• Require a minimum 12-month public shutdown notice as a condition for delisting.
• Mandate a basic export API and a refund/credit plan for digital currencies. Enforce through platform policy review. See thinking about data fabrics and live commerce APIs for integrating export and commerce signals.
• Offer a neutral escrow for preservation artifacts and source snapshots to be released to archival partners if the studio cannot continue support.
• Publish a transparent report after any delisting/shutdown that covers refunds issued and data exports completed.

Measuring success: KPIs and community outcomes

Track these metrics during a shutdown to ensure policy goals are met:

• Export completion rate (%) and average processing time.
• Refund/credit fulfillment rate and median settlement time.
• Community handoff completions (number of servers or open-source transfers).
• Post-shutdown support requests resolved within SLA.
• Sentiment analysis of community response (pre/post announcement).

Addressing objections: cost, IP, and security

Studios often cite cost, IP exposure, and security as barriers. Counter-arguments and mitigations:

• Cost: phased export rollout, store credit instead of cash refunds, and partner-funded preservation are cheaper than brand damage and regulatory fines.
• IP: sanitize server binaries and keep proprietary tools closed while releasing sufficient documentation or save formats for community play.
• Security: use signed archival packages, redact sensitive logs, and grant access to trusted archival partners under NDA if needed. For large-scale logging and audit needs, consider OLAP patterns and stores described in ClickHouse-like storage guidance.

Final takeaways: rules studios and storefronts should adopt today

• Plan early — Shutdowns are projects: staff them, schedule them, and budget for them.
• Export-first — Make data portability a shipped feature, not an afterthought.
• Be transparent — Clear timelines and honest compensation build trust and reduce disputes.
• Partner wisely — Use preservation orgs and community custodians to extend your game’s legacy without bearing all costs.

Call to action

If you’re a studio or storefront planning a shutdown, start with our downloadable checklist and sample policy templates. For players affected by New World or other live-service shutdowns, export your data now, document purchases, and contact support before buy-stops take effect. Share your experience with us—stories from players and developers help shape better policies industry-wide.

Ethical shutdowns are achievable: with a 12‑month plan, export-ready tooling, fair refunds or credits, and open communication, studios can close a live service without abandoning the players who made it meaningful.

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