The Neo Soccer development team announced the sports management game will be shuttering its doors indefinitely after season six concludes. The final game of the sixth 38-day season will take place on June 10. Afterward, the platform is expected to be shut down. Odd Jørgen Røland Neo Soccer founder and maintainer said:
I have always taken great pride and joy in serving you as the creator and administrator of Neo Soccer. This game has brought us excitement, camaraderie, and a genuine love for soccer. It’s been an honor to witness and be part of that journey.
However, with a heavy heart, I must announce a significant change to the future of Neo Soccer. Due to shifting personal commitments and the necessity to focus on other projects, I have made the difficult decision to end our shared journey after the completion of this current season.
It’s hard to put into words how deeply grateful I am for your support, camaraderie, and passion for the game that’s made Neo Soccer such an exceptional community. As we approach the end of this chapter, I hope we can celebrate the incredible moments we’ve shared and look back on our journey with fondness, not sadness.
In Neo Soccer, players used bNEO to purchase or loan squad members, managers, and stadiums in order to compete against teams established by other users. Users maintained a proper balance of team finances with revenue derived from hosting home games and prize pools from seasons and cup matches.
At the time of press, Neo Soccer has made all funds deposited to the account available for withdrawal. Some players had lost bNEO playing the game, while others had made some. Neo Soccer leadership aims to ensure that all users can leave the platform with their initial deposits. There were some players that had spent more bNEO than they’d won, and the Neo Soccer team decided to reimburse them for lost funds, bringing these users back to the level of their initial deposits. Røland said, “After this repayment, I’m at a loss, but it feels like the right and fair way to do this!”
Current Neo Soccer users can finish the season, but certain in-game functionalities will be disabled to ensure a smooth wind-down. Those functionalities include selling, lending, and terminating players, coaches, and stadiums. Further, users will no longer earn bNEO for winning or hosting matches, or for placing in tournaments.
While there are no plans to relaunch the game, Røland has ambitions to continue building the soccer manager simulator at some point. He said, “Yeah, it’s not dead forever! I know what I want to fix, but I don’t have time to fix it. Maybe one day I have time, and the game is rebooted.”
The full announcement can be found in the Announcements channel on NEO BITS Discord server:
https://discord.gg/VD7fGaBAUE