ROMhacking.net shuts down after 20 years; database has been moved to the Internet Archive
ROMhacking, a cornerstone in the video game fan translation and patching community, is shutting down after nearly two decades. The site’s extensive database, including files and images, has been preserved on the Internet Archive. Known for post-release hacks and patches, ROMhacking.net featured notable fan translations and offered numerous bug fixes for classic games, including a 2020 patch for a Super Mario 64 graphics bug.
Thousands of hacks, fixes, and tweaks were hosted on the site, enhancing classic games for players. Site administrator Nightcrawler announced the closure of ROM hack submissions, with the website transitioning to a read-only format. The forum will remain active, but members are expected to migrate to other platforms.
Nightcrawler emphasized the site’s role in uniting hacking and translation communities, despite growing copyright and takedown pressures. He expressed gratitude to the staff and community for their contributions. The future availability of files on ROMhacking.net remains uncertain.
- Game Emulator
- Free • Proprietary
External links
- Site: ROMhacking.net Moves to News Only, Database and File Archive Released to Internet ArchiveROMhacking.net • Official source
- Legendary ROM hacking site shutting down after almost 20 yearsArs Technica
- ROMhacking.net Site Closing DownSiliconera
- ROM hack and fan translation website ROMhacking.net shutting downPolygon
Comments
Oh well -_- I am a bit surprised it's only a stop, not a complete shut-down. I guess this is the silver lining
More archive centralization, with everyone relying on the Internet Archive. If that gets shut down, I don't know what'll happen. There are no real competitors to it, and the number of things that are only hosted there is probably fairly large. I hope there's an Internet Archive archiver, especially given their recent legal troubles...
This is absolutely terrible news.
This is one of those lesser-known resources that I've taken for granted in the past. Hopefully someone else steps in to provide a repository of translation patches and such...