The Original FarmVille Is Shutting Down For Good

Back when Facebook was really getting going, it seemed that the only thing anyone could talk about was FarmVille. Seemingly everyone on the platform was playing that game, and those who were using Facebook when FarmVille reached peak popularity can tell you stories of notification inboxes full of FarmVille invites – even if they didn't play the game themselves. We're approaching the end of an era for the original FarmVille, as Zynga has announced that it's shutting down at the end of the year.

This seems like a decision that was more forced on Zynga than anything else. "Following an incredible 11 years since its initial launch back in 2009, we are officially announcing the closure of the original FarmVille game on Facebook," Zynga wrote on its support site today. "As previously stated, Adobe will stop distributing and updating Flash Player for all web browsers, and Facebook will stop supporting Flash games on the platform completely after December 31st, 2020. FarmVille will therefore be directly affected as a result of this."

So, December 31st, 2020 is the day of reckoning for FarmVille. Zynga says that it will shut down in-game purchases on November 17th, though credits that have already been purchase can still be used right up until the game shuts down. Importantly, Zynga also notes that it won't be fulfilling refunds beyond November 17th, so make sure you get those sorted our sooner rather than later.

Zynga also says that it'll be hosting some in-game events as part of a grand send off for FarmVille, so those of you who are hanging around to the end have that to look forward to. Details on what those activities are weren't revealed today, with Zynga only saying that they've been "designed to make your remaining time with FarmVille even more enjoyable."

So, in just a couple of months, a game that hooked a ton of Facebook players and annoyed probably just as many will be shut down for good. Zynga ended its announcement today by pointing out that FarmVille 2: Tropical Escape will still be active after the original FarmVille shuts down, and that FarmVille 3 is on the way for mobile devices, so if you still need a FarmVille kick once we're into 2021, you should look to those two games.