The following is a press release from Sulake.
Habbo developer Sulake launches downloadable Flash client in response to community outcry
Helsinki, Finland - Feb 15, 2021 - Habbo developer Sulake announced today that it has launched a downloadable Flash version of Habbo to run in parallel with the recently launched Unity client. The browser-based, Flash version of Habbo was discontinued on January 12th as the platform ceased to exist globally, forcing Sulake to transition its user base to an incomplete, Unity-based client.
Despite beginning development in Unity back in 2018, the process of transitioning 20 years of features, content and user history from Flash to Unity has proven a monumental task in just a couple of years. A few compatibility issues between the Flash and Unity clients can be expected, however this solution is the best option to give the Habbo community the experience they want and expect while onboarding into Unity continues throughout 2021.
“Unfortunately we haven’t been making enough progress with the Unity client, and it will be quite a few months still before that version is up to the standard that our users expect. We still have a significantly large amount of features and functionality left to add to the Unity version, and we’re also using this time we’ve bought with the Flash client to really get the game design up to the level that our community wants and deserves,” Sulake CEO Valtteri Karu explains. “We want to let the users know their opinions matter, and we are listening. This will likely involve further compromise on the most important, key issues like trading and complex room rights, etc, so we are working hard to find solutions that will make everyone happy.”
The Flash client is outdated and no longer supported, so releasing a downloadable Flash client is a temporary solution to the problem until the Unity client is finalised later this year. Sulake is 100% committed to ensuring that Habbo will run in Unity better than in Flash on both mobile and on desktop, and that the community will see the transition as the major upgrade that it is - a truly beneficial move forward for the long term future of Habbo.