Tag: SL News

Linden Lab: Gaeta 1 closure reversed + Mainland improvements

Posted on by Inara Pey
Gaeta 1: no longer to be removed from Second Life – but will it ever be completed?

Back in April 2026, Linden Lab announced some significant Mainland changes involving the Gaeta 1 continent and the Adult continent of Zindra.

In particular, the announcement noted Gaeta 1 would be closed and removed from the grid once all land holders (and any tenants they might have) had been assisted with relocating elsewhere within the Mainland continents.

A Town Hall meeting was held subsequent to the announcement of these changes, which saw – along with a forum topic on the subject – considerable concerns raised (see all relevant links at the end of this article for further details).

However, on Monday, August 2nd, 2026 Linden Lab announced a change of direction with the plans for Gaeta 1, which notes in part:

After further review of resident feedback, relocation activity, and our long-term plans for Mainland, Linden Lab has decided that Gaeta 1 will remain open.
… We are sorry for the disruption and uncertainty this reversal has caused, especially for residents who made decisions or completed relocations based on the information and direction we previously provided. We recognize that those residents acted promptly and in good faith, and we are committed to providing affected residents with meaningful choices moving forward.

– from the official blog post on plans for Gaeta 1 and the Mainland as a whole

What This Means

For Former and Current Gaeta 1 Land Holders

  • Those who have relocated from Gaeta 1 should have already received direct communications from the Lab outlining their options (e.g. remaining where they are or receiving assistance in relocating back to their original parcels on Gaeta 1).
  • Those who hold land on Gaeta 1 / have yet to complete any planned relocation will be receiving communications from LL outlining their options (e.g. those who have not given up their land on Gaeta 1 no longer having to face relocation if they have no wish to move).

For Gaeta 1 and Mainland

  • Gaeta 1 will remain as an active Mainland continent.
  • Mainland will in turn see a renewed focus on making small, but noticeable improvements and updates, such as:
    • The addition of further open water homesteads in an effort to improve the sailing and flying experiences around some of the continents.
    • Repairs to many legacy Mainland regions with badly baked edges, to fix longstanding region crossing issues between these specific regions, and make them more attractive overall.
    • The restoration of several legacy  Mainland builds such as the Balloon Tour in Linden Village, the Snowlands chairlifts, and the Pomponio Crater areas within Sansara.

For the Zindra Continent

  • The expansion of, and improvements to, Zindra is to continued unchanged from the April 2026 announcement.

Feedback and Personal Observations

A forum topic has been opened for discussion of the August 2nd announcement†.

Of the comments made thus far, feedback appears to be the typical mix of Second Life responses: favourable, unfavourable, questioning, theorising, arguing.

In broad terms, that the Lab has reversed direction on Gaeta 1 and is indicating that the Mainland continents outside of Bellisseria are to have a renewed focus for improvements and updates has been welcomed. I find myself particularly in agreement with the positive response to the Mainland as a whole.

Whilst understanding that Bellisseria is a core part of demonstrating the valve of Second life subscription memberships, the overwhelming focus it has received during the last five years has been to the broader detriment of the rest of the Mainland (I also think the entire development of Bellisseria has been poorly managed, leaving the Second Life World Map looking like a cat coughed up across it – but that’s another matter entirely). So seeing a commitment being offered to make even small improvements to the latter is a positive thing (one which will hopefully continue well beyond those outlined).

In terms of Gaeta 1, I have no strong feelings other that noting it would be nice to see it completed, and  – more particularly – emphasising with Gaeta 1 land holders and their tenants for any consternation they may have felt or feel towards both announcements, and any relief felt at this latest announcement.

It is not unfair to say that everything from presenting Gaeta 1’s demise as a fait accompli, through the Town Hall to taking a further three months before announcing a change of course, has been a less than optimal course of events; one that just might have been avoided had there been more in the way of a closed discussion with those directly affected ahead of any announcement. But then, anything is possible with 20/20 hindsight – although hopefully, a lesson has been learned, should it be required in the future.

† Those with specific feedback, suggestions or requests about Gaeta 1 or Mainland improvements they wish LL to see/ consider, should make them via the forum  topic rather than here, as LL are far more likely to take note of such feedback via the forums than they are by reading this blog!

Related Links

Virtual Ability launches L$250,000 wheelchair design contest in Second Life

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Virtual Ability

Second Life has long held a deserved reputation for assisting people with a wide range of disabilities to share in virtual activities, make friends and connections, and thrive in ways not always available to them in the physical world. As a core part of this, Virtual Ability Inc (VAI) has been continuously active in Second Life for almost two decades.

In doing so, VAI has gained international renown for its annual conferences and symposia – some of which I’ve tried to support through these pages – and is recognised throughout Second Life for its unstinting work to support all those with disabilities who participate in the platform and the rich diversity of opportunities it offers.

More than just a “virtual place,” Virtual Ability is a true community, where individuals who physically live across the globe come together for conversation, learning, social activities, expeditions, and fun. Some take courses; others teach. Some mentor, others are mentored. Members create or build virtual architecture, write books or poetry, perform in plays, DJ, dance, play games, raise virtual gardens and virtual animals, or experience adventures of every type… all in a virtual world, from the comfort of their own computer. Community members bring extremely diverse backgrounds and experiences to the group and many are also active in other virtual world groups.

– From the VAI website

Now, through the generosity of Linden Lab with the donation of L$250,000 (one of four such donations given to deserving organisations announced during SL23B Golden Ticket Giveaway event), VAI has launched Mobility Without Limits, a contest a contest for creators to build wheelchairs that improve accessibility, mobility, expression, and roleplay for Second Life residents, and which offers generous  Linden Dollar prizes of up to L$50,000 to winning entrants.

The Contest

The contest invites Second Life creators to design innovative, full-permission wheelchairs that enhance mobility, self-expression and role-play for residents. Linden Dollar prizes totalling the L$250,000 awarded to VAI by Linden Lab will be presented to winning entrants across four categories of design:

  • Everyday Mobility – practical chairs for daily use. This includes traditional-looking wheelchairs such as those typically found in hospitals, clinics, or care facilities. It may include full-sized or lightweight chairs, elderly-friendly, or other chairs with a standard appearance.
  • Racing and Sports – wheelchairs used in competition or recreation such as marathons, basketball, tennis, etc. They are typically sleeker or more streamlined than traditional chairs. These chairs will be judged higher if they have items such as custom racing animations, speed effects, and/or sports-related accessories.
  • Fantasy and Sci-Fi – for whimsical but usable designs. Potential examples include steampunk, cyberpunk, elven, magical floating chairs, drone/jetpack chairs, retro. Creativity is encouraged!
  • Mobility for Every Avatar – for designs created specifically for avatars whose size or proportions require something beyond a standard wheelchair, including tinies, dinkies, larger avatars, or fantasy and other unique body types.

Wheelchairs should preferably be wearable objects to ensure maximum opportunities for use. However, vehicle-style wheelchairs are not excluded from entry.

Judging

Entries will be judged by a volunteer panel that includes residents who regularly use wheelchairs in-world, experienced Second Life creators, accessibility advocates, and event organisers from the Virtual Ability community.

The judges will evaluate each entry across the criteria of functionality, creativity, appearance, and script/animation integration. Wheelchairs that are easy to use, exhibit appropriately integrated animations, adjustable seating and avatar positioning, adjustable colouring and styling of wheels, cushions or accessories, and compatibility with different body types will score higher.

Winning entries will receive in-world Linden Dollar prizes, and the winning wheelchairs will be provided by Virtual Ability to anyone in the SL community.

Prizes

Within each of the four categories, prizes will be awarded as follows:

  • First prize: L$30,000
  • Second prize: L$15000
  • Third prize: L$5,000
  • Special grand prize across all categories: L$50,000.

Note that all prizes will be made only in Linden Dollars via in-world transfer to the wheelchair’s named creator (as shown via the viewer’s Edit floater).

Requirements for Entry and How to Enter

Requirements

All wheelchairs submitted must be original and created specifically for this contest. Use of pre-fabricated parts in a design is allowed, so long as the wheelchair is substantially new, the builder has transferable rights to all components, and the submitted wheelchair has the permissions listed below.

Collaborative entries are allowed, but any prize awarded will only be paid to the avatar identified as the wheelchair’s creator. It is up to the members of any collaborating groups to ensure the disbursement of winnings among themselves; Virtual Ability Inc., will not be party to any disputes arising there from.

Entries should be made in-world via an Inventory folder bearing a suitable name and containing:

  • A notecard bearing the following information:
    • The entrant’s avatar user name or names (please do not use Display Names).
    • The name of the wheelchair.
    • The contest category being entered.
    • The following language, which represents an agreement to the contest terms and conditions:

I hereby provide a non-exclusive, unrestricted, unconditional, unlimited, worldwide, irrevocable, perpetual, and cost-free right and license to Virtual Ability whereby they may use, copy, display, distribute, or modify my contest entry and all its components in support of Virtual Ability’s accessibility, educational, and community programs, or for any purpose Virtual Ability wishes, free of charge. I confirm that I, the creator, retain all intellectual property rights to my work beyond this license.

  • A full permission (copy, modify, and transfer) version of the wheelchair, plus any in-world accessories designed to be used with it (if applicable).
  • Any required HUD for use with the wheelchair (the HUD and all scripts used within the wheelchair and accessories can be no-modify, but must allow copy and transfer).

In addition, and if entrants so wish, they can include an optional second notecard with brief information about themselves as a wheelchair creator, and which may also include items such as links to their stores (in-world or Marketplace), etc. For winning entrants, these cards will also be included with the relevant wheelchair when it is distributed to residents.

How To Enter

  • Completed entry folders should be passed in-world to the avatar VirtualAbility Gumbo.
  • All entries must be received no later than Wednesday, September 30, 2026.
  • Winners will be announced by Saturday, October 10, 2026.

Further information

  • Full information on the contest, including requirements for entry as noted above and a FAQ addressing likely questions on the contest can be found on the VAI contest page.
  • All enquiries or feedback on the competition should be made to Eme Capalini or Pecos Kidd in-world. If you are an active Discord user, contact either Eme or Pecos for an invite to the contest-specific VAI Discord channel and post comments there.
  • Please note that feedback and enquiries cannot be addressed through this blog.

Commenting on the gift of L$250,000 and the contest, VAI’s President, Gentle Heron said:

On behalf of the Virtual Ability community, I would like to extend our sincere thanks to Linden Lab for their generous L$250,000 donation announced at the recent SL23B Golden Ticket Giveaway event. One of Virtual Ability’s core values is giving back to the Second Life community. We are delighted to announce that we will pay Linden Lab’s generosity forward and use their donation to fund Mobility Without Limits. By funding prizes that will go directly to Second Life creators, we hope to help strengthen the broader virtual world community while expanding the range of mobility options available to residents. 
We are honoured to be recognised in the work we have to help make Second Life more welcoming and accessible for everyone, and to be able to continue to be part of this remarkable world.

– Gentle Heron, President, Virtual Ability, Inc.

Related Links

LL announces the Trust and Safety User Group

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Linden Lab

On Tuesday, June 9th, 2026, Linden Lab announced the launch of the Trust and Safety User Group, together with a note that there will be an increase in communications on Trust and Safety matters.

The new Trust and Safety User Group will effectively replace the former Governance User Group meetings (Governance effectively having been rolled in Trust and Safety). As such, the new user group will generally take place as follows:

  • The third Tuesday of the month between 11:00-12:00 noon SLT.
    • The first meeting will therefore be on Tuesday, June 16, 2026.
  • The meetings will be held at Linden Estate Services.
  • Meetings will be chaired by Melody Linden and at times feature other members of the Trust and Safety team and Linden guests.

Details on the user group are now available on the User Group Meeting page in the SL Wiki. It is not clear from the blog post as to the format of the meeting – Voice or local chat or a mixture; however, I would suspect the latter would seem to be the most likely.

Linden Estate Services: Trust and Safety User Group meeting place

The user group is to provide a forum to discuss topics relating to safety and security in Second Life. However, please note that for matters of privacy and personal safety, the following will not be openly discussed by members of the team:

  • Reports of abuse, together with the outcome of investigations or actions taken in response.
  • Specific account information (including terminations, suspensions, warnings, etc.).
  • DCMA or copyright issues.
  • Internal processes.
  • ToS interpretations.

In addition, topics which are considered sensitive or outside of the scope of Trust and Safety may been declined comment / discussion during meetings.

Trust and Safety Office and Blog Posts

Alongside of the User Group meetings, the Trust and Safety announcement indicates that the Team:

  • Will begin releasing regular Community Blog posts to assist in keeping the community informed and educated on various topics. These blogs will include topics related to maintaining good account security practices, tips and tricks, and helpful how-to guides.
  • Will shortly be opening a new in-world Office Second Life users will be free to visit outside of the User Group meetings. Details on this will be made available once the Office has opened.

For further information, please refer to the official blog post: Trust and Safety Tuesdays.

LL Announces Second Life Fee Changes: Reductions & Increases

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Linden Lab

Updated to cover additional LindeX fee changes.

On Monday, June 8th, Linden Lab announced a number of changes to fees charged for various services which are to start to be introduced from Monday, June 15th. These changes specifically apply to:

  • Changes to the fees applicable to buying Linden Dollars.
  • Reducing the tier charged for selected Private regions types.
  • Increases to the amounts charged for selected  Premium, and Premium Plus subscription payment plans.

The new region tier fees and minimum Linden Dollar order fee will come into effect from June 15th, 2026, and the new subscription fees take effect on applicable new and renewed subscriptions from Wednesday, July 8th, 2026.

LindeX fees for Purchasing Linden Dollars¹

To June 15th, 2026 From June 15th, 2026
Minimum fee for purchasing L$² US $1.49 US $0.49
Maximum fee for purchasing L$ US $14.99 US29.99

Note on the Above:

  1. See this blog post for details.
  2. According to LL, this should apply to smaller Linden Dollar purchases (roughly equivalent to $15 USD or less). The Percentage for fee calculations is increasing from 10% to 11%.

Selected Private Region Tier Reductions

From Monday, June 15th, 2026, monthly tier fees on the following Private region types will change as indicated:

Region Type Monthly Tier to
June 15th, 2026		 Monthly Tier
from June 15th, 2026
Full Region with Land Capacity Bonus US $239 US $209
Full Region 20K Land Capacity US $209 US $199
Education (30K Land Capacity) US $129 US $105

There are no changes to Homestead or OpenSpace Private region tier, nor to Mainland fees.

Selected Subscription Fee Increases

From Wednesday, July 8th, 2026, the fee charged for Premium and Premium Plus subscriptions¹ will be changing:

Subscription Plan Currently From July 8th, 2026³
Premium MONTHLY US $11.99 per month US $12.99 per month
Premium QUARTERLY² US $32.97 per quarter US $35.97 per quarter
Premium ANNUAL US $99.00 per annum US $119.88 per annum
Premium Plus ANNUAL US $249.00 per annum US $287.88 per annum

Notes on the Above

  1. Plus and Premium Plus No Stipend subscription fees remain unchanged.
  2. Premium Quarterly is no longer offered for new subscription members, who only have the options of Premium monthly or annual billing.
  3. The new charges take effect from the start of your next billing cycle after this date.

Additional Links

LL partner with Essential Inventory to bring Second Life users “more”

Posted on by Inara Pey
via Linden Lab

On Tuesday, May 5th, 2026, Linden Lab announced a new partnership with Essential Inventory to bring Second Life subscribers and users “more discovery, more rewards, and more ways to experience everything the grid has to offer”.

With this new partnership, Second Life Subscribers (Plus, Premium and Premium Plus) and user will be able to benefit from the following:

Second Life subscribers:

  • Five curated gifts every month across a variety of categories – with the first gifts becoming available at 12:00 noon SLT on Tuesday, May 12th, 2026 at the ACCESS shopping event, and at the  dedicated Essential Inventory Premium Gifts region.
  • Early access to some of Second Life’s most popular shopping events – with the first early access opportunity being Sunday, May 10th, 2026 at the ACCESS shopping event.

All Second Life users:

  • Access to a new publication – What’s Hot in Second Life – which will be published every Tuesday at 1:00 SLT.
    • What’s Hot in Second Life is intended to be a curated guide highlighting “the most exciting and relevant content across the entire Second Life ecosystem”.
    • The first issue is currently available on the Essential Inventory website.

More About Essential Inventory

Essential Inventory began as a community-driven discovery platform of the kind encouraged by the Second Life Creator Partnership Programme. Whilst there are few details relating to the group(s) running Essential Inventory, the website does include the following information:

  • Founded in September 2022.
  • Boasts 3 million views over a 20 month period, with 285,487 site sessions in August 2025.
  • Has over 3,000+ e-mail subscribers.
  • Offers paid advertising for brands, etc., including “social boost packages”.
  • A “one-time free coverage” option to help promote a brand or event through Essential Inventory.
  • A “free/paid recurring event coverage” option to promote recurring events through Essential Inventory.

To find out more, visit the site directly.

 

 

 

Patch Linden departs Linden Lab

Posted on by Inara Pey
Eric Nix (aka Patch Linden, in-world). Via Linden Lab

On Tuesday, May 5th, Linden Lab announced that Senior Vice President of Product Operations, Patch Linden (known in the physical world at Eric Nix), is to depart the company after some 20 years.

No precise reason for his departure has been given, other than the fact it comes as part of a reorganisation of the Product Operations and Customer Success divisions, both of which have been under his remit.

Patch originally joined Second Life as a resident user in 2004, running his own business in-world. In September 2007, he officially joined the Lab as a support agent, rising to a support liaison. From there he moved to the Concierge team, and was gradually promoted to manage that particular team. Following this, he shifted his focus to the role of Operations Support Manager for around a year before joining the Product division, which has the responsibility for defining the features, etc., found within Second Life.

Whilst a part of the Product division, Patch developed the Land Operations team, which includes the Linden Department of Public Works (LDPW). He also became the prime mover with the Land Operations team and LPDW in establishing and expanding the Linden Homes offerings for subscriber users, and developing the Bellisseria content land (and water) masses.

Patch Linden, circa 2017, via Linden Lab

In 2018, he established the company’s support office in Atlanta, Georgia, and in 2020 he oversaw the move to larger office space in Atlanta, which was interrupted by the COVID-19 pandemic, and then in 2019, he was promoted to Vice President, Product Operations.

In this role he became part of the troika of Senior Vice Presidents (along with the Senior VP of Product and the Senior VP of Engineering responsible for overseeing Second Life’s continued development on behalf of the company’s most senior management and board. As Senior VP of product Operations, he has been responsible for managing some 5 teams, including the LDPW.

Path has generally enjoyed popularity among many Second Life users, often appearing at public and special events – such as Meet the Lindens sessions at the Second Life Birthday celebrations, as well as the likes of the annual Virtual Worlds Best Practices in Education (VWBPE) event, and has been featured in a number Lab Gab sessions. As such, he will be missed by many.

Whilst the blog post implies Patch will be departing the Lab, a check on his account in-world suggests he may already have actually left (or at the very least, the Patch Linden account has been “retired”), as it appears to be no longer available – which is generally a sign an employee has left the company. However, whether he has departed or has yet to, I wish him well in his future endeavours.

Update: not long after this piece was published, Eric Nix’s name and image were removed from the Lab’s About page, further confirming his departure.