Turtle WoW players share one last goodbye as the fan World of Warcraft server shuts down for good

The final day has come for World of Warcraft private server network Turtle WoW. Nearly eight years since it opened its doors to lost players looking for an alternative option, the fan-operated group has now officially shut down its servers for good. One month ago, WoW maker Blizzard Entertainment settled a lengthy legal battle to deliver a cease and desist order to the Turtle WoW team, and with the deadline now upon us, the remaining community has gathered together for a traditional 'end of an MMORPG' sendoff.

Along with more traditional old-school World of Warcraft experiences, many of the group's servers offered mods and community-created content. Its most recent such offering, Mysteries of Azeroth, was described as an fan-made expansion for the vanilla game "that delves deeper into exploring the original lore." Following the ruling in Blizzard's favor, and a subsequent private settlement between both sides, Turtle WoW developer 'Torta' confirmed that all of its servers would be shut down one month later. That day - Friday May 15 - is now here, and the switch has been flipped.

As is tradition, the community gathered along the beach during the final hours of Turtle WoW for one last big send-off, which you can watch below courtesy 'Pespline' on YouTube. "Goodbye everyone, Turtle WoW will always be in my heart," writes one player. Another adds, "There will be no equal to Turtle WoW. The end of an era. Best of luck to everyone." Some fall back on classic words: "Don't cry because it's over, smile because it happened." Others have a different approach: "My name is Beastly and I like turtles."

Then, with final cries of "GG all" and "I love you all guys," the screen locks up, and cuts to the main menu. "Disconnected from server," reads the message. A quiet farewell; a stark contrast from the raucous crowds just moments prior.

"They say it's the journey, not the destination. How long must a journey last to be remembered fondly and warmly? We don't know. We only know that ours is coming to an end." Torta writes, "Working on Turtle WoW has been the highlight of our lives. It has been an honor to build with you and for you. Whether you were exploring new stories, leveling, raiding, PvPing, roleplaying, or just enjoying a quiet moment in the world, seeing how much this game means to you has been our greatest privilege."

They continue, "The adventures you had, the battles you fought, and the friends you met are what made it all worthwhile.. We hope you will cherish those moments. What we leave behind are fond memories of an eight-year-long journey, and we hope you'll remember it every now and then." Torta adds that the website, forums, and social media will be closed later this year, on Friday October 16.

Turtle WoW allowed users to play for free, but accepted donations via its website. In Blizzard's lawsuit, it alleged the defendants had "found a lucrative way to exploit and profit from the popularity of the WoW game experience." It also cited the group's increased social media presence in recent months, claiming, "Turtle WoW has been brazenly escalating its efforts to cannibalize and disrupt Blizzard's WoW player community."

In a message sent to PCGamesN following that initial filing, a Blizzard spokesperson wrote, "This pirate server illegally uses our code, assets, and trademarks to market an unprotected experience. Given the scale and nature of the infringement we need to pursue formal remedies to protect the world we've built."