Reddit might believe that everything will pass eventually, but there have already been instances where the API changes have caused permanent damage. Third-party apps that are widely used have shut down and prominent contributors like game developers are leaving the networking site.
Mojang Developers Leave r/Minecraft
The r/Minecraft subreddit, for a time, was a hub for all sorts of discussion for Minecraft players. What's better is that their concerns can be addressed not only by fellow players who have the answers but by the game's developers as well. That's no longer the case.
The Mojang developers announced that they will be leaving the subreddit for good, mentioning that they "no longer feel that Reddit is an appropriate place to post official content." This conclusion was brought by the moderation changes in many forums.
With that being said, the official Minecraft subreddit with 7.4 million members won't be able to get direct answers from developers anymore. As mentioned in Kotaku, it has long been the place for players to ask developers for tech support and changelogs.
Fret not if you want to reach out to them. Mojang's Mikael Hedberg said that anyone can still reach the team with feedback about the game through feedback.minecraft.net, or contact them through one of their official social media channels.
Just to clarify, the actual r/Minecraft subreddit is not shutting down at all. Members can still freely post or ask anything they want in the forum. The difference is that this time, the people responsible for the great game will no longer be joining the discussions.
The worrying part about this, apart from the Mojang developers leaving the site, is that it sets a precedent that could turn into a common action. A lot of other game developers tend to lurk on Reddit forums to see player feedback, but that too could end.
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Leaving Voluntarily
The upside to this is that they were able to leave voluntarily, which was not the case for many moderators on the social networking site. Those who participated in the protest adamantly were not only removed from their position but were suspended as well.
As part of the protest, moderators found a way to stifle Reddit's revenue stream by labeling subreddits as NSFW, given that the company cannot place ads on the forum. In response to the move, Reddit suspended the moderators and removed them from the position.
Reddit spokesperson Tim Rathschmidt noted that doing so meant that they were violating the Content Policy and Moderator Code of Conduct, as reported by The Verge. The suspension was set to last for seven days.
Reddit has also warned moderators beforehand that keeping the subreddits private in protest would also be grounds for losing their status. Either way, it appears to be a show of force from the company as a way of saying who's boss.
Still, no amount of executive power can stop third-party developers from shutting down their apps, or game developers like the ones from Mojang to leave if they believe that Reddit is no longer the best place to discuss matters.
Related: Reddit Begins Suspending Moderators Participating in API Protests
