The small fantasy MMO Villagers & Heroes has been struggling with server issues repeatedly. After the recent disconnects of some players, the developer is now offering in-game compensation.
What is the situation? Villagers & Heroes is a fantasy MMO developed by Mad Otter Games. The game was released in 2011 and is free to play on PC (Steam), iOS, and Android.
Compared to many other MMOs, Villagers & Heroes is relatively small. Currently, only about 30 people are playing it on Steam (via Steam DB).
There have been server issues repeatedly in the past. For example, in March 2019, the servers were victims of a hacking attack (mmorpg.com reported). Recently, players have again encountered server outages. On Sunday, January 14, 2024, the developer reported issues in their own data center, causing all servers to go offline for a day. A hard drive crash was blamed for this. Players were unable to log in during this time.
Here you can get an impression of the game:
The developers are handling the issues exemplary despite fewer players
How did the developers react to the problems? Villagers & Heroes is not a large MMO. Nevertheless, the few players seem to be important to the developer. In a statement, it was said:
Thank you very much for your patience while the servers were unavailable! The problem has now been resolved. In the next 24 hours, all players will receive special rewards for one character per account upon logging in. Thank you once again for your patience and support.
Sarah Otter from Mad Otter Games (via mmorpg.com)
Mad Otter Games seems willing to put in the effort to offer their own in-game compensation. Furthermore, the issues are communicated openly. This is exemplary, especially for an indie developer of this size.
You will also soon have to be patient in WoW due to maintenance work.
Are the problems now resolved? Although the servers are back online, some players are reporting further issues in the forum and on Discord. There are repeated crashes. It seems the issues are not completely resolved yet.
However, the open communication with their own community gives hope that Mad Otter Games is working hard to resolve the server issues as soon as possible.
Aside from that, the MMO is actively being developed. A larger patch during the Christmas season brought, among other things, new mounts and outfits to the game. They can be purchased in the in-game shop. Additionally, the raids have been improved. If you are now interested in the game, you can try it for free. Or take a look at the currently best MMOs of 2024.
