„You have to look for yourself” Tibia's legendary mystery was nearly a let down

It’s been nearly thirty years, but one of the world’s first MMORPGs, Tibia, is still going strong. Tibia is developed by CipSoft and was originally released in 1997; however, players around the world continue to play it today. Earlier this year, a brand-new character class was introduced, something no one had seen coming for well over two decades. Just a couple of years ago, on the game’s 25th anniversary, the developers added sound. That’s the kind of game we are talking about.

Tibia’s highest-level door, which took years for players to unlock, almost had nothing in it

Today, Find Your Next Game released a video interview with Stephan Vogler, one of the original creators of Tibia, who shared some of the experiences of making Tibia all those years ago. Vogler discussed the first time someone logged into the game, and the original creators all rushed over to a computer to take a look. Yahoo (in the days before Google) even created a unique category for the game when it first released, “graphical multi-user dungeon.” Even the longest-running games all started somewhere. Apparently, the developers never thought anyone would reach level 999, until years later, when they realized a secret door they created might actually be opened.

At some point in the history of Tibia, the developers introduced doors that could only be opened if the player reached a certain level. Just for fun, they decided to add a door that could only be opened if someone was level 999. They never thought anyone would actually do it. Then, according to Vogler, “fifteen years later, we realized ‘oh my god, people will reach level 999.’” The high-level secret door had established itself as one of the game’s biggest mysteries and most sought-after achievements. But Vogler revealed that, behind that legendary door, “there was nothing at the time.”

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Of course, this makes sense. The developers thought it was an unachievable goal. But give players unlimited time in an RPG, and someone will achieve nearly any goal you set before them. Thankfully, the team realized “we really have to put something there.” Now, the door leads somewhere, but in honor of the first player to achieve this goal, I will leave it up to you to decide if you want to know.

Of course, as with most video games these days, there are guides on the internet to help you with anything. But even for someone whose job is to play video games and write guides, reaching level 999 in a decades-old RPG is not going to be easy. When the first player passed through the door in 2016, nearly twenty years from the game’s initial launch, everyone wanted to know what they found. When they returned, according to Vogler, they simply said: “You have to look for yourself.” In the following years, the secrets of the door were revealed to the world, but you have to respect the restraint to keep the secrets for yourself.

Tibia is still playable today and remains free. Vogler even teased some plans for the game’s 30th anniversary, which will be in 2027. That may not be enough time to reach level 999, but if you’re looking for an online RPG you can play with friends that has a classic retro experience, you can’t go wrong.

Tibia

November 3, 1997

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• Overview

• free-to-play
• MMORPG
• CipSoft