Some statistics (as of writing):
- 46,700 users in our main chat room
- 27,000 Facebook likes across 2 pages
- Most popular server (historically) had over 90,000 unique registered accounts, accumulated over 1.5 years; peak concurrent player count was around 700

Who are we?
We, the undersigned, are players and supporters of the "Soapbox Race World" (SBRW) project, which focuses on emulating the well-known "Need for Speed: World" (NFSW) online multiplayer game. The game was published by Electronic Arts, and was officially shut down in 2015. Since then, 3rd party servers have been made available, drawing in considerably large numbers of players.

What do we want?
Here is the list of what we are looking to obtain:
1. Original, compilable source code projects for the game client and server(s)
2. Tools that were used by the original developers of the game
Essentially, we want the game to be open to the community, in a form where it can be both updated and preserved for the future, and is not locked behind a wall.

Why do we want these things?
In recent years, game preservation has become an area of great importance, thanks in part to the rapid rise of "always online" games. If a game is taken offline, most of the time it immediately becomes impossible to play. NFSW was no exception to this unfortunate truth. Even though we are lucky enough to have 3rd party servers, nothing can replace the original experience. Officially allowing the community to develop and preserve the game would ensure that it isn't forgotten, and would allow an uncountable number of people to revisit something from their childhood that was previously lost.

What happens if this is unsuccessful?
If this is unsuccessful, then we will continue running and playing on 3rd party servers. However, there is only so much that we can do with the limited resources that we have. This is why we are hoping that we will be successful, as it would empower us to do the (currently) impossible, and help us to preserve a beloved game.

From our perspective: What would WE gain?
We would be able to fully preserve a game that was beloved by many, and play it the way it was meant to be played. We would also have the opportunity to expand upon the game and bring new things to it. Preservation, however, is far more important than that.

Closing remarks:
To the community: Please share this petition far and wide, so we can gather support for this cause.
To anyone at EA who may end up reading this: We, the undersigned, hope that you take this into serious consideration. It would be meaningful beyond belief to this community if you agreed to support us, even if some compromises or changes are necessary as a result. We're not a small community, and the nostalgia is strong in us. We want nothing more than to have a fully functional game. Finally - we want to do the things the original developers didn't get a chance to do. All we ask is that you give us the tools to do it, so that your game is not forgotten.