In the recent weeks, I think we've all seen the decrease in activity. Six months (which we are just getting to in-game) is about the average length of time a game runs, and we feel, rather than having the game peter out into nothingness, that setting an end-date would eliminate a lot of the uncertainty in that regard.
We've decided that the last day of the official game will be August 31, 2010 for that reason, though the community itself will remain open past that. It should give everyone plenty of time to wrap up their storylines and get their characters into a good place. There won't be a big end - no comets to destroy or manticores to cause havoc - but rather a fade to black.
We've had a great run and really enjoyed playing with you! Thanks for playing with us!
Love,
the Mods