Tibia is quite retro in itself, but now special retro servers are being introduced to the MMORPG from Germany.
One of the oldest MMORPGs is still running
What is Tibia? The MMORPG is one of the oldest representatives of the genre. It was developed in 1995 by students Stephan Börzsönyi, Guido Lübke, Ulrich Schlott, and Stephan Vogler and launched in 1997 via the servers at the University of Regensburg. Due to its increasing popularity, the three were able to found the company CipSoft GmbH in June 2001. The ongoing success enables the now 60-strong company to generate annual revenue of more than 7 million euros.
Why is Tibia so popular? For one, many gamers from Germany play the MMORPG because it is a German game. Additionally, many can identify with its development. A group of students programs an MMORPG and has achieved success for decades. Furthermore, the online game plays very classically and reminds players with its isometric view of RPGs from the 1990s, especially the Ultima series. Regular updates also keep the fans engaged.
However, a special event has brought Tibia into the spotlight: There exists a mysterious door in the game that only opens when a player with level 999 opens it. This happened for the first time in the summer of 2016. However, that player did not want to reveal what was behind the door. About a year later, another Tibia fan managed to reach level 999.
Initially, he tried to charge his fellow players money to show them what was behind the mysterious gate. How much money he managed to raise is unclear, but he did not reach his target of 5,000 dollars as he adjusted the amount downwards several times. So, he streamed how he went through the door. Behind it lay a tropical island with some traders – which many viewers found disappointing.
A retro server for a retro game
Why is a retro server coming now? Tibia is a very classic MMORPG but has, of course, evolved over the years. Especially in terms of PvP, which is not as “brutal” as it was at the launch of the online game. With the new retro servers, a gaming experience is created similar to what it was in the early days of the game – without a punishment system for player killers. Six servers will be launched, three for PvP fans and three for players who want PvP only optionally:
- Retro Hardcore PVP: Furia (EU), Funera (NA), and Assombra (SA)
- Optional PvP: Relania (EU), Cosera (NA), and Venebra (SA)
The servers are currently only playable with premium accounts. Generally, you can also play Tibia for free.
How do you get started? You can play Tibia in several ways, but first you need to register on the website.
- You can play directly in the browser
- It is possible to download the client
- TibiaME is a special version of the MMORPG that you can play on smartphones
If you want to check out one of the oldest MMORPGs in Germany, you can take a look at Tibia.
