Hi, OSgrid friends. It’s Filipa.

First things first: I’m sorry. Nineteen years is a long time to call a place home, and watching it go dark is a real loss. The friendships, the builds, the late nights on the plazas, the regions you hosted on your own machines because you loved it that much. None of that was small.

I’m not here to pile on, and I’m not here to tell you your grid failed. I’m here because a lot of you are going to need somewhere to land in the next couple of months, and I want you to know where the porch light is on.

This post has two parts. First, the practical stuff, so you don’t lose anything you can still save. Then, if you’re looking for a new home, an invitation to come see mine.

What’s happening, in plain words

In case you’ve only caught bits and pieces, here’s the short version, straight from OSgrid’s announcement:

• OSgrid goes dark at midnight on December 31, 2026. An attacker got in through insecure home-hosted region connections and flooded the servers with junk data.
• It plans to reopen in 2027 after a full reset. No exact date yet.
• Your account survives. Your inventory does not. The asset database will be wiped, so everything in your inventory is gone unless you save it yourself.
• Home-hosted regions can’t reconnect directly anymore. OSgrid will only accept regions from approved hosting companies. You’ll still be able to visit home-hosted regions over the hypergrid.
• The OSgrid plazas will come back when the grid does.

That’s a lot to absorb. The good news is that most of what matters can still be saved, if you act before the deadline.

Before December 30: save your stuff

OSgrid has asked everyone to back up by December 30. Do this part whether or not you ever come to Kitely. Your work deserves to survive.

There are two kinds of backup file, and you may want both:

• An OAR file saves a whole region: the land, the builds, everything rezzed on it.
• An IAR file saves your inventory: your avatar, clothes, objects, textures, the lot.

A few honest notes:

• Backups only carry what you have permission to export. Some things you bought may not come along, and that’s the creator’s choice, not a glitch.
• Test your files if you can. A backup you’ve never opened is a hope, not a backup.
• Keep more than one copy. Future you will be grateful.

Gods of Valor Sims on Kitely

Why Kitely makes a soft landing

You have options, and a lot of grids are opening their doors right now. That’s a good thing. I’ll just tell you why I chose Kitely years ago, and why I’m more sure of it today.

• It’s built for exactly what just happened. Kitely is a managed grid, not a patchwork of home servers. When a wave of internet-wide security holes hit this month, Kitely patched within minutes of the fixes coming out, and the team is actively hardening the OpenSim code itself.
• Your stuff is backed up for you. Kitely keeps three full system backups going back months, daily backups of every world, and hourly backups of active ones. No more 2am console sessions wondering if your OAR saved.
• Land you can actually afford. I pay $20 a month for my 2×2 world. That’s four sims.
• Your neighbors can’t lag you out. On many grids, the regions sharing your server drag down your performance even when nobody’s in them. On Kitely, worlds only run while someone is visiting and power down a few minutes after the last avatar leaves, so empty worlds aren’t eating the resources your world needs.
• The Marketplace is why I came, and it travels with you. Kitely has a full web Marketplace, and honestly, it’s the reason I chose Kitely in the first place. Nothing else in OpenSim came close. Many products are sold with Export permission, which means they aren’t trapped on Kitely: you can take them with you to other grids, OSgrid included, when it comes back. So rebuilding your wardrobe and home here isn’t a one-grid bet. And the Marketplace redelivers purchases automatically if you ever lose them, even years later.
• And if you create, Kitely is a real opportunity. When I chose Kitely, I saw a marketplace where I could reach new customers, control exactly where each product can go, and help a growing grid that needs more content. It expanded what I could do as a creator, with more security than I’d ever had selling across the open hypergrid.
• You can still travel. Kitely is on the hypergrid. Items marked for Export ride along in a special inventory folder called My Suitcase, so you can visit friends on other grids.
• Same viewer you already use. Firestorm OS works on Kitely just like it did on OSgrid.
• Someone answers. Kitely’s CEO, Ilan Tochner, is genuinely reachable: by IM, Discord, email or the forums, and he usually responds within a few hours. Every Sunday there’s also an open community meeting at the Kitely Welcome Center where you can ask him anything. The regulars are kind, and a few of your OSgrid neighbors are already there.
• Try it without risk. Kitely offers new users a 14-day money-back guarantee.

Moving in: step by step

Here’s how to bring your saved region home to Kitely.

1. Make a Kitely account at kitely.com.
2. Download Firestorm OS from firestormviewer.org if you don’t already have it. It’s the same viewer you used on OSgrid.
3. Create a world from your account’s My Worlds page. Pick a size that fits your old region or regions.
4. Upload your OAR file to that world from the My Worlds page. Your land and builds appear just as you saved them. [CHECK WITH ILAN: exact menu names, file size limits, and whether multi-region OARs upload as one world.]
5. Bring your inventory. [CHECK WITH ILAN: whether Kitely accepts IAR uploads, and how. If not, the best alternative for getting inventory items in.]
6. Log in and look around. Walk your land, check your builds, and make sure everything came through.

Coming soon from Kitely: you’ll be able to load an OAR into one part of an existing world instead of replacing the whole thing, which is handy if you want to combine pieces from more than one old region.

Stuck? Ask me. I’ve been on Kitely for years, and I’m happy to help you move in, find your way around, or just say hello.

Dauphine Manor by Gods of Valor

Come on in

Wherever you end up, save your stuff first. That’s the part that can’t wait.

But if you’re looking for a place that feels like the old days, where you know your neighbors, the person in charge actually shows up, and your land doesn’t cost a car payment, come see us on Kitely. Drop into the Sunday community meeting at the Kitely Welcome Center. Bring your questions, your OAR files, and your stories. We’d love to hear them.

IM me anytime: Filipa Thespian on Kitely or in SL, and iampip on Discord.
We’ll keep the light on.

With love,
Filipa
I’m a Kitely creator and fan, not a Kitely employee.

Sources

Hypergrid Business: OSgrid will reopen in 2027 after year-end reset 
Hypergrid Business: What other grids can learn from OSgrid’s shutdown 
Kitely community meeting, October 25, 2026