UK’s New Online Safety Law Shuts Down 20-Year-Old Browser Game Urban Dead

Urban Dead will officially shut down on March 14, 2025, just shy of its 20th anniversary. The UK’s new Online Safety Act, which imposes strict regulations on social and gaming websites, especially those without strong age restrictions, is the reason why the free-to-play text-based zombie survival MMO is closing.

Developer Kevan Davis announced the closure in a statement, citing the looming financial risk posed by the Online Safety Act. The new legislation introduces heavy corporate-sized fines for noncompliance, making it “not feasible” for an independent developer to keep the game online.

“So a full 19 years, 8 months and 11 days after its quarantine began, Urban Dead will be shut down. No grand finale. No final catastrophe. No helicopter evac. Make your peace or your final stand in whichever part of Malton you called home, and the game will be switched off at noon UTC on 14 March,” said the developer’s statement. 

The game, which launched in 2005, has maintained a loyal player base over the years, allowing gamers to either survive as humans or roam as zombies in the quarantined city of Malton.

After that date, the game’s wiki will remain accessible in read-only mode, but the future of Urban Dead remains uncertain. Davis mentioned that if the game is ever revived or spun off in some form, announcements will be made on the official website.

It is worth noting that while the UK government states that “The new Online Safety Act is a set of laws that protect children and adults online,” just a month ago, it declined a petition with over 10,000 signatories, which asked UK regulators to “update consumer law to prohibit publishers from disabling video games (and related game assets/features) they have already sold, without providing customers with recourse to retain or repair them.”