On Tuesday April 21st, 2026, Linden Lab announced it is ending support for Project Zero, the viewer-in-a-browser application launched just 14 months ago, and which I was able to co-announce through this blog following a Zoom meeting between myself and Brad Oberwager and Philip Rosedale.
The project, which saw the viewer streamed to a person’s web browser from Amazon AWS servers remained in something of a beta state throughout its lifespan, initially overseen by Philip Rosedale and then (the now Lab-departed) Sntax Linden, with a dedicated User Group meeting being formed around it (although meetings ceased in the latter half of 2025). It also gained much interest among existing users, despite it being largely aimed at incoming new users, leaving access to it limited for established SL users.
The revised Avatar Picker for Project Zero saw the function moved out of the viewer window and displayed within the browser tab, leaving the viewer window unencumbered. This approach was ported to the SL Mobile App.
The project did see some interesting development – such as the updated Avatar Picker mechanism, which was also ported to the SL Mobile App, and at the time of its launch at the start of 2025 and through the initial six or so months of its development, there were plans to undertake a gradual rebuilding of the viewer UI as presented through a browser, using modern tools such as HTML5 and React. To further interest in streaming the viewer through a web browser, Linden Lab also worked with the Firestorm team to take a version of the latter’s viewer and present that as a streaming service as well – although this experiment was ultimately short-lived.
By September 2025, the Lab was indicating that between them, Project Zero (using the official viewer) and the SL Mobile App had lead to a “10x” increase in the numbers of people trying out Second Life when compared to the more traditional requirement to sign-up and then download the viewer (the latter having long been a break-point for sign-ups, with many would-be users turning away from the platform rather than downloading and installing the viewer on their computers). However, not long after this update, things began to go quiet on the Project Zero front.
As a part of the new user sign-up, those directed towards using Project Zero, rather than to having to download and install the viewer, were directed to a revised splash screen comprising a static backdrop and a “Polaroid snapshots” slide show whilst they were connected to a Project Zero streaming server
With the curtailment of the Project Zero User Group meetings and, later, the departure of Sntax Linden from Linden Lab, the Project as a whole seemed to go dark, with little in the way of direct news being given through any User Group meetings. As such, the announcement that the project is now being ended comes as both a surprise (given the enthusiasm for it evidenced by Linden Lab in 2025) and a non-surprise (lack of news / updates on the project through late 2025 and the start of 2026 suggesting it was perhaps withering on the vine).
The announcement blog post offers little in the way as to why Project Zero is being halted, other than the decision being based on both “feedback” and what the Lab has “learned” in running the project, and “insights gained from Project Zero will directly inform improvements” to both the Desktop viewer and the SL Mobile App. However, the beneficial nature of the project in circumventing the need to download and install the viewer is acknowledged.
As it stands, support for Project Zero will end on Friday, April 24th at 17:00 SLT.
Further:
If you have remaining paid time associated with Project Zero, you are encouraged to use it before the [project is shuttered – access allowing, given the potentially limited number of slots at any given time.
If you have any unused time on Project Zero after April 24th, please file a support ticket for a refund (which will be processed up to 30 days after the ticket is received).
Exactly “what’s next” isn’t actually indicated in the official blog post (despite the post’s title), other than
Note that the ending of Project Zero does not affect either the desktop viewer or the ongoing development on the SL Mobile App, which will “continue to operate as usual”.
Linden Lab has announced changes to the standalone Gaeta 1 continent, and the Zindra adult continent. Via the SL Wiki
On Monday, April 20th, 2026 Linden Lab hosted a Town Hall meeting to discuss the upcoming transition of the Gaeta 1 standalone Mainland continent and the 90-region expansion to the Zindra Adult continent. For detailed context on these changes, please refer to the following blog posts:
The Town Hall was held to offer more information on the upcoming changes – which will be implemented over the course of the rest of the year and see those on Gaeta 1 transitioned away from that continent to land holdings of equitable size elsewhere on Mainland (and not necessarily Zindra), prior to Gaeta 1 being taken off-line, with the steady built-up of the more coastal region of Zindra over the same time period – and to address questions and feedback from Second Life residents.
A number of Lab Land and Support staff attended the meeting, with Derrick Linden fielding the majority of questions, with support from Oatmeal Linden, Whitney Linden and Wendi Linden.
The following is not intended as a full transcript of the Town Hall, but a summary of key questions / suggestions and their responses.
There was a large degree of conversation, particularly during the latter parts of the meeting, which was technically outside the scope of the meeting. This broader conversation included subjects like Zindra land prices, GTFO hubs, extending Mainland road systems, ad farms, Tiny Empires bots, and Yava pods, and is not reflected in the notes below, given the topics a) were mostly outside of any discussion on the Gaeta-1 / Zindra focus and b) did not garner significant responses from the Lab personnel at the meeting.
The meeting utilised local chat rather than Voice, and these notes have been taken from a chat transcript of the meeting provided by Pantera Północy (I missed the meeting myself, due to various reasons), and a summary of major questions and answers supplied by Neon Lyter. Pantera’s video of the session is also embedded at the end of this article – my thanks to both Pantera and to Neon for providing the video and information.
Introductions – Main Speakers
Derrick Linden – Senior Manager of Product Operations, who has been with the Lab for almost 15 years.
Whitney Linden – Supervisor of the Land Operations Team, who has been at the Lab for 14 years.
Oatmeal Linden: Land Specialist with 4+ years at the Lab.
Wendi Linden: Land Specialist with 7 years at the Lab.
Recap: Why are These Changes Being Made?
Overall, these changes are designed to reflect how Mainland is currently being used.
Adult regions continue to see strong demand and high occupancy, while some General and Moderate areas, including Gaeta 1, have seen lower usage over time.
Rather than expanding total Mainland size, LL is reallocating capacity to better match that demand.
Impact on Gaeta 1 Residents
For Gaeta 1 landowners, this will be a gradual, supported process running through the end of 2026.
No regions will close without advance notice, and every impacted landowner will receive direct outreach with relocation options.
This includes size-for-size parcel replacements, with flexibility to move to Zindra or other Mainland areas depending on individual preferences.
The goal is to make this transition thoughtful and resident-focused, and LL want to give residents time, clear options, and direct support throughout.
Questions and Answers
General
Suggestion: Zindra has lots of troubles with open water traversal. The HOA-gated nature of Linden Homes could be a solution here. Build A-rated Linden Homes along the outskirts of the new expansion, among water like the stilt/houseboat concept, so that LL doesn’t have to run water regions with no paying customers in them while also restricting people from blocking access routes?
Response: Unfortunately we’re not here to talk about Bellisseria or Linden Homes products. This is certainly an option that we have available to us, and we will take it into consideration as we consider future plans here.
Q: Will small areas of protected land possibly be opened?
A: Currently we don’t have any plans to open any existing protected areas, and the new regions that are being created in Zindra will have protected roads and waterways.
Q: will there be any water regions along the protected waters opening for purchase? Most of the ones that are here have already been purchased up by land companies.
A: Yes, there will be some water regions that will be resident occupied. However, the first priority is the individuals that are impacted on Gaeta 1 and those are getting first dibs on the new land being made available on Zindra. We will not make any of the new land available for anyone else to purchase or claim until those individuals are sorted through.
Q: I live in a PG location so I have a concern: is this the beginning of a trend to reduce PG lands to zero?
A: No, no plans on that with PG land.
Q: [Is] Sharp (formerly the Teen Grid continent, and also unfinished, like Gaeta-1) next?
A: We have no plans or changes anticipated for Sharp or any other Mainland continents at this time.
Q: Four older (Nascera) Linden Homes continents were deleted last year. What has happened to those regions (and the financial savings they created) and why have those Nascera regions not been redistributed to complete both Zindra and Gaeta 1, while also connecting Gaeta 1 to the remainder of Mainland?
A: Those four continents of old Linden Home regions were brought down and the redistribution of those regions is a slower phased process, and are being released with new style Linden Homes over the longer period of time. Those regions were earmarked for Linden Homes, and not Mainland.
[Note: a follow-on question to this asking why resources are allocated / reserved for Linden Homes when the older themes have such a high vacancy rate, rather than revamping them. This went unanswered as outside the scope of the meeting.]
Q: Is this part of an overall resurgence in a focus on Mainland architecture? Or is this a one- time project?
A: This is definitely one step in the direction of looking at working with our Mainland product, and we have several initiatives that we’re currently working on. For instance, we’ve been doing some stuff that I don’t really want to spill the beans on here, however, those of you that have been paying attention to New Bloom Mountain might have some indication on things to come.
We have also been doing more maintenance on existing Mainland (for example, the snow lands chair lifts, etc.). Please let us know about other potential broken content that needs some fixing, too.
Q: Will we see more projects like this in the future of land being recycled to for better purposes to be more efficient and progress SL forward?
A: We are entirely focused and only have plans currently for Gaeta 1. Afterwards, I can make no guarantees for what the future holds, but I want to make it clear that we understand how impactful this is and do not take decisions like this lightly. So this will continue to be evaluated for the future of the Mainland and SL as a whole.
Concerns were also raised throughout the meeting about:
The potential lack of available land facing open water on other Mainland continents which could be offered like-for-like to those on Gaeta-1 who have shorefront / open water land at present.
The risk of those on Zindra losing their open water views as new regions are added.
Neither of these concerns were directly addressed by the Lab.
Gaeta 1 Specific
Q: Did the Lindens already mention how many people this is estimated to actually affect who actually log on?
A: There were 349 unique land owners or groups as of April 15th that owned land on Gaeta 1.
Q: How will the actual moving process take place? Is the land owner responsible for actually moving their own items?
A: Yes, however we’re planning to work with each individual person and give them time to move the content they need or want to move over, and pick up anything they don’t plan on carrying over.
Q: Why not finish Gaeta 1?
A: This was certainly an option that we had considered, however, there are large swaths of land available here, especially those that are not along any waterways or nearby roads which is unoccupied and unutilised. As mentioned in the blog, we want to shift this land into more desirable adult Mainland, and use it as an opportunity to finish out the Zindra continent.
Q: Will residents be able to hold Gaeta1 land and the replacement land without additional costs during the move to allow for builds to be more easily moved? Or will they have to drop one and start over on another?
A: This is something we anticipate some users needing, and we will absolutely be working with them to the best ability we can to make this transition as smooth as possible. And that does include possibly assisting them in this exact manner.
Q: What about people who have SL families with child avatars who are living on Gaeta I? They can’t move to an adult continent.
A: We are assisting everyone with their particular land needs. If they are unable to or do not prefer Adult Mainland, we are helping them find alternatives.
[Also it has been made clear in the official blog post that no-one currently on Gaeta 1 must move to Zindra, the creation of new Zindra regions is somewhat tangential to the Gaeta 1 transition, the two only linked by timing and the aforementioned wish to re-balance land allocation towards the higher demand of Adult regions.]
Q: [abridged and partially paraphrased for length]: Gaeta 1 was originally created in 2008. Why was the continent left unfinished? Zindra meanwhile, was announced in June 2009 with work on the land starting shortly after, but then left incomplete for 15 years. Why the change of heart after over a decade of residents pleading with Linden Lab to provide additional adult Mainland? Why is Gaeta 1 being sacrificed? Gaeta 1 has 10.2% of land abandoned, but Jeogeot has 29.6% and Satori 27%. Why should the residents of these continents not be concerned that their creations, their effort and time, might just be done away with?
Bellisseria also has large tracts of unoccupied homes (e.g. Alpine Homes (69%); Fantasy Homes (48% occupied), with Bellisseria as a whole only 39% occupied. Why is more effort being put into expanding Bellisseria when there’s this much product currently unused? Why not halt the expansion of Bellisseria or repurpose land from there instead?
A: I can’t speak to Gaeta 1’s creation or its unfinished state, this happened prior to my tenure here, and pretty much all of the individuals that were in decision-making positions at the time are no longer here. I totally understand this sentiment, but I unfortunately don’t have much I can answer on this front.
However, I did see the figures on the forums that are being quoted here based on externally-collected data, and these numbers are not accurate to the information that we have. Gaeta 1’s occupancy on non-protected parcels was actually only 44%. And it being disconnected was a contributing factor, but not the primary reason.
Q: If we have a xx amount of land in Gaeta 1 we will be given choice for equal amount of land or we can also choose to buy more than what we currently own for example if it’s a 1/2 sim can we get a full region in the expansion option too? And what will be the pricing on that?
A: No, it will be same sized parcels for parcel placement.
Q: When managing relocations or land disputes on Gaeta, do you take into account how long someone has owned their land? Specifically, do long-term residents receive priority over those who purchased land just this week?
A: Overall, our priority is the largest impacted communities first. Afterwards, we’ll be working with individuals and smaller groups. However, we are giving priority to residents and groups who owned their land prior to April 15th when this blog was released.
Q: What if you first tried to redesign Gaeta I and move it to Gaeta V, for example between the North-western part of Gaeta V and the North-eastern part of Corsica, reducing Gaeta I’s size so that you get rid of the abandoned land but keep the Sandy Beach Trail, the coastline and the existing communities, moving the other regions as needed to reshape it? It cannot be more work than these planned relocation efforts, and if that doesn’t bring you the desired results, you can still shut it down, but trying couldn’t hurt more than keeping all the abandoned land online already has for so many years.
A: There were considerations put into this, but the primary concern that we’re attempting to work toward a resolution here is that there is an imbalance between A vs. G/M regions. This opportunity allows us to help the land market on Zindra while also solving for lower occupancy numbers on Gaeta 1.
Q: What is LL going to do to help residents with very strong memories attached to their land? For example, residents who still have things rezzed out from family and friends who have passed away in real life. Is there some way for Linden Lab to move these objects to the new land?
A: Unfortunately, we don’t have any options available to us to selectively relocate specific objects like this.
Q: Can we have a meeting with just Gaeta 1 people, just to sort out things more in detail?
A: We’re currently planning to do a smaller town hall specifically as an invite-only to individuals and groups that have land on Gaeta 1. These will be sent as personal invitations, so keep an eye out for incoming communication over the coming couple of weeks. These will be sent via notecard from a Linden.
Q: How is contact being handled in the case of group owned land?
A: We’re balancing and weighing depending on if the founder still active, in lieu of that we prioritize the individuals that are contributing the tier to the groups.
Q: Does anyone know if any of the Gaeta I regions have already begun to disappear?
A: Not yet – we’re beginning the process over the next 2-3 weeks.
We are not deactivating any regions until the land owners there have been able to find new locations.
Zindra Specific
Q: What steps are you going to take to ensure that the new land in Zindra is not immediately bought up by land barons?
A: We are not making any parcels of land available there until everyone that is being moved from Gaeta 1 has been taken care of and have claimed parcels there, or elsewhere, as they desire and we work with them. That leaves us several months ahead that these regions will begin to be added to Zindra, but not made available to claim the land.
The timeline for this whole process is through the end of this year, so realistically no land will be made publicly available until that time. After that, we’re currently discussing strategies for how to make the remainder of the new land available, and it will likely be some sort of mixture of auctions and/or a possible lottery system that we are discussing internally. However, if you have other thoughts, we’d love to hear about them.
Q: So, will Gaetans also get first dibs on scooping up some additional Adult land before the land hoarders that aren’t Gaetans? If so how much we looking at pricing wise?
A: Answered this already, but just to reconfirm – yes, Gaeta 1 landowners will get first dibs [on the new Zindra lands, if they want]. Pricing will remain the same on your current tier structure as long as you’re just doing a like-for-like parcel switch.
Q: In terms of void edge land on Gaeta, what is considered comparable on Zindra? Is it ocean access?
A: This land [void on Gaeta 1] is being considered as interior land and not water. However, the new land being spun up on Zindra has plenty of available water, and that doesn’t necessarily immediately disqualify you from owning water-adjacent parcels.
Q: Will the new Zindra regions have PBR terrain?
A: We are updating the land textures to a higher resolution [2k], but not PBR.
Q: Can you set expectations as to how much land will be available to non-Gaeta residents? 97 regions are moving to 90. What percent of those 97 were abandoned before the announcement?
A: We don’t have any clear indications yet just because we don’t know how many will opt for new land on Zindra vs. existing G/M land. We anticipate having left over land on Zindra, we just can’t estimate exactly how much.
Q: Will there be a possible chance in the future that Zindra might be connected to the rest of Mainland?
A: No, this is not possible. We do not place Adult and G/M rated regions adjacent to one another.
Those wishing to offer feedback on the Gaeta-1 and Zindra changes, these can be posted via the forum discussion thread.
Linden Lab has announced changes to the standalone Gaeta 1 continent, and the Zindra adult continent. Via the SL Wiki
On Wednesday April 15th, 2026, Linden Lab announced some significant Mainland changes involving the Gaeta 1 continent and the Adult continent of Zindra.
The Changes
Gaeta 1
A transitioning of all current residents from Gaeta 1 to other Mainland continents. This is to start in April 2026, with an aim to complete by the end of 2026.
This transitioning will be handled carefully, with personalised outreach to residents on Gaeta 1 by members of the Lab’s staff.
Land holders on Gaeta 1 will be offered size-for-size parcel replacements, and LL will work with them to find a comparable parcel that suits their needs and preferences.
No region on Gaeta will be retired without due consultation with the land holders currently based on it. Time will be given for all land holders to plan, examine options and discuss matters with the Lab as the process commences and progresses over time.
The transition is expected to unfold “over many months”.
Once complete, Gaeta 1 will go offline as a continent.
Zindra
Zindra will see an expansion of approximately 90 regions.
This expansion will be rolled-out alongside the transitioning of Gaeta 1 – but does not mean Gaeta 1 land holders “must” accept parcels within Zindra.
However, if moving to Zindra is seen as preferable by any Gaeta 1 land holder, they will be given priority access to the new Zindra regions.
These new Zindra regions will include scenic waterfront, extended road networks, coastal water passages, and additional development that helps complete and enhance the Zindra continent.
Why is this being done?
To quote from the official blog post:
Adult mainland continues to operate at very high occupancy and shows consistent demand. At the same time, some General and Moderate mainland areas, including Gaeta 1, have seen lower overall use over time. Instead of expanding the total size of mainland, we are adjusting existing capacity to better reflect where Residents are most active today.
This change applies only to the unconnected continent named Gaeta 1. IT IS NOT PART OF A BROADER MAINLAND CLOSURE, and there are no changes to content policy connected to this announcement.
– From the Lab’s official blog post on the Gaeta 1 and Zindra changes
Town Hall Meeting
As a part of the consultation process and to answer initial questions / hear feedback on these changes, Linden Lab will be holding an in-World Town Hall meeting on Monday, April 20th, 2026, commencing at 11:00 SLT. The Town Hall meeting area can be accessed using the following SLurls:
On Thursday, September 25th, 2025, Linden Lab hosted a further Zoom call with creators and bloggers to discuss a number of announcements and initiatives, one of which was a new Premium Plus subscription option. I’ll be summarising other aspects of the meeting in due course. This article focuses on the new subscription option – what it is, why it is being done, and when it can be expected.
What is It?
While Premium Plus has been been well-received, the cost of US $249 (annual billing plan) has been seen by many as being too expensive to justify.
To help overcome this, from October 2025, Linden Lab will be offering a “Premium Plus, No Stipend” option.
This subscription level will offer exactly what it suggests:
All of the “physical” benefits of Premium Plus (2048 sq metre Linden Home options etc.).
HOWEVER users signing-up to it will not receive either the one-off sign-up bonus (L$ 3,000) or the weekend stipend (L$650).
The new offering will retain the “Premium Plus” name for simplicity, and presented as an option within the Premium Plus subscription level.
By removing the sign-up bonus and stipend the new offering, when available, will cost US $11.99 per month / US $143.88 per annum (plus applicable local taxes) – a saving of US $105.12 on the annual cost of Premium Plus with stipend.
The upcoming new “Premium Plus, No Stipend” subscription option. Credit: Linden Lab
In addition, subscribers will be able to move between the subscription levels with immediate effect (e.g. Premium subscribers will be able to upgrade to “Premium Plus, No Stipend” without delay, and if they don’t like it, downgrade back to Premium or upgrade to “full” Premium Plus, and if a Premium Plus user opts to do without the stipend, they can switch over to “Premium Plus, No Stipend”).
Why is it Being Added?
As noted, it is primarily aimed at making Premium Plus more attractive to users who feel the current offering, even with the sign-up bonus and stipend, is still too expensive to justify.
The decision to remove the sign-up payment and stipend was made on two counts:
Those on both Premium and Premium Plus continue to purchase Linden Dollars regardless of their stipend.
Stipend payments further add to the supply of L$ in circulation, contributing to the on-going issues of a top-heavy supply of Linden Dollars impacting exchange rates, as has been previously discussed – see: Linden Dollar Exchange Rate and the Economy.
It is recognised the removal of the stipend will not appeal to everyone, hence why the current Premium Plus option will be remaining.
It is particularly hoped that the new option will encourage Premium subscribers who have previously expressed reluctance in upgrading to Premium Plus due to the cost to now consider doing so.
In a perfect world every premium subscriber would move to Premium Plus, No Stipend. Best for residents, best for creators. If that takes off, this is really good for residents and really good for creators, if people upgrade. If people downgrade, it is what it is; hopefully they don’t, but if they do, they do. But upgrading, that’s a win for the creators like no other, and its a win for the residents; we’re really giving a lot more for very little.
– Brad Oberwager, during the Zoom Call, September 25th, 2025
When Will it Launch?
If all goes according to plan, “Premium Plus, no Stipend” will launch in the first half of October 2025.
Formal announcements of its availability will be made when officially launched.
Towards the end of August 2025, I was contacted to ask if I knew anything about a recent acquisition by Linden Lab – that of Blush AI, a dating simulator available for both Android and iOS that (quote) “helps you learn and practice relationship skills in a safe and fun environment”.
Blush AI was originally developed by Luka Inc., the company behind Replika, an emotional artificial intelligence (AI) companion chatbot first released in 2017, and which has proven highly popular with a claim of over 30 million users – although it has not been without its share of concerns around user data protection.
At the time I was contacted, the acquisition of Blush AI from Luka Inc., was causing some concern within the forums and on social media, with some of the concerns being around the possible use of SL chat logs being used to train the AI. As there had been no official announcement on the matter, I contacted Linden Lab to see if they would comment on the acquisition. Due to matters of vacations, etc., it took a while to obtain a response, but this week I did receive an official statement on the acquisition, which hopefully addresses some of the concerns raised in the forum thread:
Linden Lab has always been a place where new ideas are explored both in and outside of Second Life. Blush is one of those explorations—a small, independent product with its own team and no connection to Second Life user data. Blush is a separate effort focused on AI companionship, while our focus in Second Life is on growing and improving the world our creators have built.
We have no plans now or in the future to use Second Life conversations or content to train AI systems. Any such use would require explicit disclosure in our Privacy Policy. Second Life remains our flagship offering, built around empowering human creativity, and we are continuing to invest heavily in it with recent updates like glTF imports, WebRTC voice, our mobile app, and Project Zero.
– Linden Lab spokesperson
The Blush App page on Google Play, listing the Lab as the new developer
Given this, it would appear that the intent is to have Blush AI continue to operate independently from Second Life using its own revenue stream via in-app purchases. Most particularly, it makes clear that conversation logs, etc., from Second Life will not be used to help train the Blush AI, nor is likely that there be any other connections between Blush AI and Second Life user data.
Obviously, the question remains why make such an acquisition in the first place. Without any direct statement from the Lab, anything relating to this question is pure supposition. On a personal level, I have no strong opinion on; AI tools / entertainment of this nature simply do not interest me at all. So long as the acquisition doesn’t interfere with /detract from the on-going effort to enhance and grow Second Life, which remains the Lab’s bread and butter, then I can happily ignore Blush AI. That said, given that past acquisitions by the Lab haven’t always gone that well (Blocksworld being the only real exception), I will admit to my curiosity being piqued as to how this one progresses and how long it lasts.
On Thursday, July 31st, Linden Lab provided an update on the AI Character Generation project which indicates it it to be paused / closed at the start of September.
The project was initially launched in December 2024 and powered by Convai, a platform for developers and creators proving an intuitive approach to designing characters with multimodal perception abilities in both virtual and real world environments (see: Linden Lab leverage Convai for AI character generation in Second Life). However, it was shortly thereafter suspended as a result of community feedback, before being re-launched to a wider audience of potential users at the end of February 2025.
The Character Designer was launched as an experimental feature to explore the potential of AI-powered characters in Second Life. Built in collaboration with our AI technology partner Convai, this tool enabled residents to create interactive, virtual characters with conversational capabilities.
From elaborate roleplay scenarios to immersive visitor greeters, your projects and feedback have been invaluable. This pause gives us time to carefully evaluate everything we’ve learned and determine how best to evolve this technology in a way that aligns with the broader future of Second Life.
This is not the end of AI in Second Life; rather, it is a thoughtful pause as we refine our strategy and continue exploring new opportunities for innovation.
– Linden Lab blog post
The “pause” is set to come into effect from Monday, September 1st, 2025, with the Lab further noting that as of that date:
It will no longer be possible to create, deploy, or run AI Characters using the Character Designer interface.
Characters created through the Designer will no longer function or appear in-world.
Previously created characters and their memory will not be retained post-pause.
Any alt accounts created specifically for testing the Character Generator will remain valid Second Life accounts, and can be logged into just like any other alt account.
Community support for the project will continue through the following channels:
Second Life Discord for real-time responses from staff and developers.
Support Portal for any account-specific issues.
In addition, those who have used the Character Generator are encouraged to record their work during the wind-down period and share video through the forum thread or suitable platforms.
The sunsetting of this project does not mean the end of further possible projects and experiments in the use of AI technologies, with the blog post also stating:
This is not the end of AI features in Second Life—we’re using this moment to regroup and plan for future development … We are actively and cautiously experimenting with other AI technologies to enhance Second Life’s creative potential, performance, and immersion. The insights from this project are already helping to inform future efforts.
For further information, please refer to the official blog post, which includes a short-term FAQ.
Inara Pey: Living in a Modemworld 