Archive Entertainment announces the full release of version 1.0 of 8BitMMO after a brief 14-year development run for this free construction/sandbox MMOG. The game is available for free through the 8BitMMO website or Steam. Here's word:

Development on 8BitMMO originally began in 2001, when solo indie developer Robby Zinchak began working in his spare time on a sandbox game where all players could help build the world together. The game went through many iterations and several rewrites. Finally, a publicly playable build was ready in June of 2011. It was well received, and later that year Zinchak began working on the title full-time. 8BitMMO continued to be improved as time went on and a community built up around it. It was selected for Steam Early Access and launched there on December 13, 2013.

The title has grown immensely over the past few years, with now over 650,000 registered users and a user-built world that is larger than the combined landmass of the United Kingdom. The fan community is small, but fervent, with some users writing novels-worth of fanfiction, creating a 3d-printed model of their character, or in one case even getting a tattoo of the game.

Zinchak has added many new features in the past year based on feedback received from players. One major new feature recently added is a new competitive PvP/PvE game mode called Transponders that allows players to build a base and then summon a raid consisting of monsters and other players. Enemies spawn in increasingly difficult waves, and the winning side is awarded gold for their victory.

The game has won several awards, including Best Technological Game at Tokyo Game Show's Sense of Wonder Night, Winner of the Seattle Independent Game Competition, and Director's Choice at the Indie Prize Showcase in San Francisco.

Even though this is the official launch, the game will continue to be updated with new content even after this release.