1 USD is equal to 50-60 RUB now, while it used to be 70-80. So, for every US dollar, I now get 25% less Russian rubles.
On top of that, foreign banks now charge enormous fees for every transaction going into Russia. This month alone they charged about $250 in fees, which is more than half the cost of the servers per month.
For 2 months in a row I had to borrow money to pay my rent while I was prioritizing the servers, but I can't continue like this any longer.
I've decided to move out and leave Russia while the borders are still open. This will cost me a lot, and I won't be able to pay for the servers this month.
Servers will continue to operate until December 7th. After that, they will be shut down and will be back up if/when I'll have enough money to pay for them.
- Oleg
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UPD (07.12.2022)
Servers have been shut down
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UPD (10.12.2022)
Ironically, the game got a lot of attention after the servers got shut down.
Many people are asking how to play with a friend.I made a guide that explains how to use Remote Play Together.
UPD (11.12.2022)
Yesterday the game gained more attention than ever before due to a TikTok video. Some people have suggested me to set up a PayPal donation link to bring the servers back up. And while I can't use PayPal myself because I'm still in Russia, one of our moderators (BDK) has agreed to provide his PayPal to receive donations and pay for the servers.
If you're able to help, please send donations to this PayPal:
paypal.me/gseth123
To pay for the servers, we need to raise $659.75.
If we receive donations, we'll post the progress in the DW2 Discord and in-game:
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UPD (17.12.2022)
I have successfully left Russia
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UPD (31.01.2023)
I have recently opened a bank account in a new country, and from next month I should be able to receive payments directly to this bank. Up until this point I was still recieving payments to my Russian bank
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UPD (11.03.2023)
I recorded a YouTube video with latest updates about my situation and online servers.
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UPD (03.05.2023)
Good news - I have successfully received a payment from Google AdSense this week!
I'm in a much better position now compared to a month or two ago, and not in immediate danger of becoming homeless anymore.
However, I don't have enough money to bring Drunken Wrestlers 2 servers back online just yet.
This is because while the servers were shut down, Steam sales went down from ~$700 a month to below $200, and Google AdSense revenue went down from ~$1000 a month to below $500.
Since I'm finally able to receive payments from Google AdSense, running online servers for Drunken Wrestlers 2 could be sustainable once again. Now I just need to save up enough money to kickstart them.
Full details:
https://www.patreon.com/posts/82319756
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UPD (01.06.2023)
I am pleased to announce that servers are back online!
https://store.steampowered.com/news/app/667530/view/3694686731768077852
