The Angelfire Culling was a data loss event that resulted in the loss of all web site content from the Thingamabob.com2 web site's RPG Maker section between early September 2001 and October 27, 2001.
The Thingamabob.com2 web site was an early web site featuring content produced by Cracked Egg Studios, which did not have its own web site until years later. The site's RPG Maker section was hosted by Angelfire at angelfire.com/ny4/thingamabob3000. It included information about how to use RPG Maker 2000, various executables and modifications for the software, as well as details about games produced by Ted and Nick Phillips, some demos, and some completed games for download, including Medieval Castles.
By late in the evening October 27, 2001, the original Pokémon Trainers Club web site, which was itself hosted at the Thingamabob.com2 web site at that time, mentioned that "the RPGMaker branch of Thingamabob.com2, ... is currently down due to problems with the host server, Angelfire."
After a few days had passed, it became clear that the issue was not a technical problem with the host server; rather the content was unexpectedly deleted by Angelfire admins without notice. This caused loss of all game backups stored there. For many years, scholars believed that the content was removed due to the site's inclusion of downloadable executables, potentially violating the host's terms of service.
However, a review of records on March 23, 2024, found that in footage taken November 22, 2001, a discussion between Ted Phillips, Nick Phillips, and Bill Como revolving around game development was recorded.
On December 5, 2022, Ted discovered that the Angelfire account had not actually been closed twenty years earlier, as he was able to recover his login credentials; unfortunately, the account was completely devoid of files.
The Thingamabob.com2 web site was an early web site featuring content produced by Cracked Egg Studios, which did not have its own web site until years later. The site's RPG Maker section was hosted by Angelfire at angelfire.com/ny4/thingamabob3000. It included information about how to use RPG Maker 2000, various executables and modifications for the software, as well as details about games produced by Ted and Nick Phillips, some demos, and some completed games for download, including Medieval Castles.
By late in the evening October 27, 2001, the original Pokémon Trainers Club web site, which was itself hosted at the Thingamabob.com2 web site at that time, mentioned that "the RPGMaker branch of Thingamabob.com2, ... is currently down due to problems with the host server, Angelfire."
After a few days had passed, it became clear that the issue was not a technical problem with the host server; rather the content was unexpectedly deleted by Angelfire admins without notice. This caused loss of all game backups stored there. For many years, scholars believed that the content was removed due to the site's inclusion of downloadable executables, potentially violating the host's terms of service.
However, a review of records on March 23, 2024, found that in footage taken November 22, 2001, a discussion between Ted Phillips, Nick Phillips, and Bill Como revolving around game development was recorded.
He further mentioned that the main RPG Maker 2000 site run by Don Miguel had listed the Thingamabob.com2 RPG Maker section as a mirror for the RPG Maker program files, and clarified that shortly after Don Miguel's site disappeared from the internet, so did all the mirrors that had been on the list, suggesting that there was a widespread takedown of RPG Maker related sites at the time.Ted Phillips said:
On December 5, 2022, Ted discovered that the Angelfire account had not actually been closed twenty years earlier, as he was able to recover his login credentials; unfortunately, the account was completely devoid of files.