World Quest travel game shuts down over unpatched PHP flaw
The service ended on October 21, the same day the team announced it, after a serious vulnerability could not be fixed on the game's old system.
The official team of the travel game World Quest announced on October 21 that the service would end, and shut it down the same day, according to news.denfaminicogamer.jp. The team said the decision followed the discovery of a serious vulnerability in the PHP used by the game's servers.
Because the game runs on an old system, the team said it could not take sufficient measures against the vulnerability. It added that it prioritized protecting users' information.
World Quest was offered as a travel game on apps, GREE, Mobage and Wakupura from 2011 to 2019. In May 2020, the service was revived so that people unable to travel abroad during the COVID-19 pandemic could enjoy travelling in the game.
The game features more than 100 countries, with vehicles such as buses, trains and planes, and uses the open-source OpenStreetMap for its map.
Quick answers
Why did World Quest shut down?
The team said a serious vulnerability was found in the PHP used by the game's servers, and that the old system prevented sufficient countermeasures.
When did World Quest end its service?
The service ended on October 21, the same day the shutdown was announced.