FileFront, one of the most popular file distribution sites on the net, has announced that it will be closing down at the end of the month.
Launched in December 2001, FileFront was a popular destination for gamers looking for patches, mods, demos, videos and other game-related content and also hosted a wide range of other software, including drivers, internet software, audio-video packages and much more. But the site’s future became uncertain when UGO acquired 1Up from Ziff-Davis; FileFront was not part of the sale and while Ziff said it would continue to operate FileFront as part of the PC Magazine digital network, the company’s struggles cast doubt on how long it could afford to keep things going.
“We regret to inform you that due to the current economic conditions we are forced to indefinitely suspend the FileFront site operations on March 30, 2009,” FileFront management wrote in a message posted at farewell.filefront.com. “If you have uploaded files, images or posted blogs, or if you would like to download some of your favorite files, please take this opportunity to download them before March 30th when the site will be suspended.”
“We would like to give a warm thank you to all of you who have been part of the FileFront communities we have built together,” the message continues. “Your support has had a meaningful impact for all of us here at FileFront. Again, we want to give you a sincere “thank you” for your support over the years and wish you all the very best.”
While the message refers to it as a “suspension” and not an outright shutdown, there’s not much in the farewell that offers hope for the future. Maybe we’ll get lucky but with the economy continuing to stumble and companies desperately seeking new sources of revenue, the odds of seeing the FileFront we know and love make a comeback seem mighty slim.
