In less than 24 hours WoW Insider, the go-to source for World of Warcraft news and information, will be shut down for good.
WoW Insider is part of Joystiq, an AOL-owned news site focusing on gaming and video game culture.
“In our final hours, however, I want this to be about us. Not just us, the staff. You, too. Our readers. We did what we did, and what we do, for all of you and with all of you.”
What initially began as a rumor, soon became an unwelcome reality when it was announced that AOL was officially shutting down Joystiq in an effort to eliminate what the company considered to be “underperforming” sites.
Alex Ziebart, Editor-in-Chief at WoW Insider, posted a final goodbye to the site’s readers that chronicled the history of the site and thanked them for their support.
In our final hours, however, I want this to be about us. Not just us, the staff. You, too. Our readers. We did what we did, and what we do, for all of you and with all of you. We’ve always done our very best to embrace the World of Warcraft community. We worked to ensure all were welcome. It didn’t matter who you were or how you played, how casual or hardcore, we wanted you to know you had a place. It wasn’t about being first to the news — it was about ensuring everyone had the context and information necessary to understand it.
Even with the site’s end approaching, Ziebart had this to say to the community:
“In the end, we were friends. I can think of no other way to put it. Staff, audience, community. We were friends.”
