1975 – 2015retired
Betamax
“Lost the war, won our hearts, and always looked sharper doing it.”
“The lobby lights are off, but someone is still AFK there.”
Xfire was a freeware instant messaging service for gamers that doubled as a game server browser, built by Ultimate Arena in Menlo Park, California. It let players chat, broadcast live game streams through a partnership with Livestream, and upload screenshots, photos and videos on its social community site. By January 2014 it had over 24 million registered users, and its monthly events — tournaments, machinima contest
The end came in stages: the web-based social side shut down on June 12, 2015, the messaging function followed on June 27, and the last services went dark on April 30, 2016. Xfire also kept a beloved daily ritual — its Top Ten list ranking games by hours played, the one on which World of Warcraft reigned for years until League of Legends overtook it on June 20, 2011. For a generation of gamers, it was the friends list
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“Lost the war, won our hearts, and always looked sharper doing it.”
“It asked who asked, and the crowd voted: rest well, Dory.”
“It recorded your shows and never once asked for a subscription. Rest easy.”