**Myrient: A Final Goodbye to a Retro Gaming Preservation Hub**
Myrient, a digital haven for retro video game aficionados, is preparing to shut down in about 30 days, signaling the conclusion of an era for a platform committed to safeguarding gaming history. Established by Alexey in October 2022, Myrient has gathered an impressive repository of more than 390 terabytes of well-organized video game archives. Always free of ads, paywalls, and logins, Myrient has provided an invaluable resource to enthusiasts and historians of classic gaming over the last three years.
**The Monetary Burden of Preservation**
The choice to close stems from escalating operational expenses driven primarily by rising costs of essential hardware components like RAM, SSDs, and HDDs. This increase in expenses is partly linked to the growing demands of AI data centers, which have created an untenable financial landscape for services that depend on large-scale data storage. Alexey has indicated that sustaining Myrient’s servers has become economically unfeasible, with monthly costs surpassing $6,000.
Further complicating financial difficulties, while user traffic on Myrient has been on the rise, contributions from the community have stagnated. As Alexey shared on Myrient’s official Discord channel, he has been covering the shortfall personally, a scenario he described as “not sustainable.” The conflict between soaring costs and unchanging donations has ultimately led to the tough decision to shut down the site.
**Obstacles from Specialized Download Managers**
Alongside financial issues, Myrient has encountered technical difficulties with a new trend of specialized download managers that circumvent the site’s anti-download-limit measures. These managers have succeeded in bypassing donation prompts and download restrictions, contravening Myrient’s pledge to prevent commercial exploitation of its resources. Alexey has stressed that such exploitation of the platform cannot be ignored any longer, heightening the urgency of the decision to halt operations.
**What Awaits**
Myrient is scheduled to continue operating until March 31, 2026; however, starting February 26, the introduction of new content will stop. Alexey advises users to focus on downloading any important files they may need as the deadline nears. He also mentioned that any donations received during this period will be strictly allocated to cover the site’s escalating hosting costs rather than expanding its collections.
As Myrient nears its closure, the community that has gathered around it reflects on the cultural and historical importance of the site. For many, it has been more than just a resource; it has been a crucial connection to the history of gaming—a place where nostalgia intertwines with preservation. The approaching shutdown serves as a reminder to users of the fragile balance between operational viability and the passion that drives the preservation of gaming history.
