Browser game portal Kongregate is no longer accepting new games
It's part of a new strategy to evolve in a post-Flash world.
Kongregate has long been a godsend for bored students and workers stuck in dreary office jobs. Launched in 2006, the browser-based game portal has amassed over 128,000 games, but that number won't be growing: the site has announced it will no longer be accepting new games as of today, nor will new badges (the site's equivalent of achievements) be added.
The news comes via an official announcement in the Kongregate forums. It notes the imminent death of Flash on December 31, as well as the company's increased focus on developing its own (mostly mobile) titles.
In the short term, the most dramatic changes on the site will be to the forums and social features, many of which will cease operation on July 22. The existing library will remain accessible, and devs will be able to update their games, but it's likely that without intervention most of those games will be inaccessible by 2021 (unless they're preserved by initiatives like Flashpoint).
"Please be aware that as part of our focus on developing games, we will have fewer resources to support Kongregate.com," the statement reads. "That said, our support team will do their best to help players experiencing in-game issues."
Gamesindustry.biz notes that several Kongregate employees have tweeted about sudden layoffs at the company.
Kongregate launched Kartridge in 2018, a curated Steam-like portal designed to highlight indie games. According to Andy's report, there are no upload fees or manual approval processes on the site.