I am paying for a private server nobody uses because shutting it down feels like ending the group

Three years ago, ten friends started a private survival-game server. During the first winter, it was busy every night. We built roads, left supplies outside each other’s houses, and held a completely unnecessary election for mayor. The world contains a ridiculous amount of shared history.

Now almost nobody logs in. One person visits every few weeks. Two say they plan to return when work calms down. The rest have moved to other games or other parts of life. I still pay $18 a month to keep the server running because I was the person who created it and therefore became its accidental museum director.

The money is not ruining me. That is part of why the charge survives. Every month is cheap enough to ignore, while the idea of canceling feels much larger than $18. The server is the last place where the whole group still technically exists together. Closing it feels like announcing that a period of our friendship is over.

I asked whether anyone would object to shutting it down. The responses were affectionate and useless. “We should do one last build night.” “I definitely want a copy.” “Maybe keep it until the holidays.” Nobody offered to take over the bill or name a date. I did not ask directly because I was hoping enthusiasm would volunteer. It did not.

I can download the world and distribute copies, but an archive is not the same as a place people could enter tonight. Then again, the possibility is mostly symbolic. Last month, the only login was me checking whether anyone else had logged in. I paid for an empty building so I could inspect the guest book.

How do you retire a shared world without making the message sound like an eviction notice? My current plan is to set a final date six weeks away, schedule one farewell session, save the world files and screenshots, and invite anyone who wants the live server to assume ownership before billing ends. Is six weeks generous or just another delay? I want to preserve what mattered without paying indefinitely for the illusion that it is still happening.