In June 2015 the once-popular Friendster social network shut down. But it's back! Can it succeed this time around?
Social Networking Pioneer Friendster
The Friendster social network launched in March 2003, five months before MySpace and almost a year before Facebook.
It had the features you would expect from a social site, including sharing posts and photos, commenting and interacting with other members, finding events, and even dating.
It was popular! Apparently Google even offered to purchase Friendster, but was shot down, a move that was supposedly one of the "biggest blunders" in Silicon Valley.
But behind the scenes there were apparently technical and management issues that meant they couldn’t handle the rapid growth. Those problems may have pushed people over to competitor MySpace.
Friendster remained popular, especially in Asia, until 2009. And then it’s popularity started to drop, most likely because of the rise of Facebook.
Friendster is Permanently Paused
Friendster as a social gaming site in 2011
As usage dropped, Friendster was acquired by Malaysian company MOL Global. Their technical infrastructure patents were acquired by Facebook.
The platform couldn't compete as a social network, so, in 2011, the company pivoted hard, turning Friendster into a social gaming site.
While people could keep their accounts, all the the posts and social features were removed.
That also failed to catch on, so it was announced Friendster would "pause" their services on June 14, 2015. The company said:
“... due to the evolving landscape in our challenging industry, the online gaming community did not engage as much as we had hoped for. Profound development in the gaming industry has also led us to rethink our strategic priorities.”
While it lingered in a paused state for more than a year, the pause eventually became a shutdown.
The View from 2025
This isn't a new story. Many social platforms have come and gone over the years. Friendster couldn't compete with the Facebook juggernaut (nor could MySpace).
But the social media landscape has changed since 2015.
People are less trusting of social media "owned by billionaires" and engagement driven by algorithmic feeds.
In 2024 Friendster was relaunched as a social network under new ownership that is "Bringing it Back to the People".
It promises that it's users first, no algorithmic feed. They won’t sell your data. And it's a "friendly social space."
You can sign up for early access, and maybe get in on the ground floor.
It will be interesting to see if they succeed.
References
Friendster home page, December 2003
TechCrunch, 15 October 2006: The Friendster Tell-All Story
Friendster home page, August 2011
Friendster home page, 14 June 2015
Friendster home page, June 2025
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