Filefront to close

[nepas]

Filefront are closing there doors:

Dear FileFront User:

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. 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. 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.

Keep gaming alive,

FileFront Management and Team.

http://farewell.filefront.com/

That is a shame as I liked Filefront,they were free,quick and easy to use

 

[zak4994]

Never heard of it lol.

 

[JN]

It does surprise me how file hosting websites manage to remain profitable. For example Rapidshare must have Petabytes (or something ridiculous) worth of stuff uploaded to thousands of servers around the world, with billions of people downloading the files. How can keep that profitable with $20 signup fee's??

 

[zak4994]

It does surprise me how file hosting websites manage to remain profitable. For example Rapidshare must have Petabytes (or something ridiculous) worth of stuff uploaded to thousands of servers around the world, with billions of people downloading the files. How can keep that profitable with $20 signup fee's??

Advertisements?

I mean come on Jim even you should know that.

 

[JN]

Advertisements?

I mean come on Jim even you should know that.

I dont think you have any idea how much bandwidth costs...

Overclock3D uses about 1.5TB bandwidth every month and most companies charge £30+ per 100GB in dedicated hosting. So that's potentially £450p/m for just for OC3D.

Rapidshare however will probably transfer 1.5TB every hour....so its gonna take more than a few ads to cover that.

 

[TopSecret]

Yeah, I got stung on my website with the bandwidth a few times. I used to have a download section, with AV etc etc for download, but it proved too popular and I had to scrap it. It cost me a bomb in extra bandwidth.

There must be some form of incentive from the games devs for the likes of Filefront or something As you rightly pointed out I can't see the advertising covering the costs of running the servers.

 

[Brooksie]

Never heard of it lol.

fail.

filefront was awesome and got good speeds from it, shame it see it go

 

[nepas]

If that is the case,the I guess the incentive was not enough for Filefront,Their costs must have been high,look many demos and patches they had,that would need more than a few ads to pay for that

 

[Youngie1337]

LOL @ Zak, no way could advertisements or sign up fees pay for their hosting. Although some companies do a one of unlimited bandwidth payment with their servers. They also do not have to rent servers they most likely had their own servers with some 1gb internet connection. Pay for the internet and server, no bandwidth limits I guess.

 

[mrapoc]

I hope gamershell keeps going

now thats a good speed free download site

 

[Brooksie]

I hope gamershell keeps going

now thats a good speed free download site

Yeah I usally use gamershell / filefront since my fileplant suscribers has run out

 

[Sleekit]

Awwww, losing a good website here

A reliable download website for game files etc

 

[FleX.overclock3d]

Filefront was legendary its ashame to see it go, always got very good speeds from it and was an easy site to use

 

[nepas]

well,it looks like there are some changes:

FileFront has been acquired by the original founders of the site and will NOT be suspended as previously announced. This is NOT an April Fool's Joke.

After learning about Ziff Davis Media's plan to shut down FileFront at the end of March, the original founders of FileFront made the decision to buy it back from Ziff Davis Media.

We're happy to announce to the gaming community that as of today, April 1st, 2009, FileFront is a completely independent company again and is no longer part of Ziff Davis Media. All previously suspended services should be active and working again. We thank Ziff Davis Media for their cooperation and willingness to keep the site and community alive.

Due to the very unfortunate timing of this event and related announcements on March 24th and April 1st (April Fool's Day), we'd like to make it perfectly clear that:

1) The March 24th announcement about FileFront shutting down was NOT an early April Fool's joke and Ziff Davis Media had every intention of shutting down FileFront by the end of March.

2) This announcement about the original founders buying back FileFront from Ziff Davis Media is also NOT an April Fool's joke.

3) We're making this announcement on April 1st because the deal was completed today and we want to bring all services back online immediately.

4) We would NEVER shut down FileFront as an April Fool's joke.

5) We are happy to be back!

FileFront has existed in one form or another (originally as FileLeech and Voodoo Extreme's downloads) since 1997. In the last 12 years, FileFront has become the gaming community's most comprehensive and trafficked library hosting millions of files for thousands of games while requiring no registration and providing uncapped download speeds. We look forward to improving FileFront and serving the gaming community for years to come.

Welcome home. Game On!

Email us, founders@filefront.com

http://welcome.filefront.com/

 

[Brooksie]

yay