Blender have announced that Blender Network is being shutdown. The Blender Network shutdown is occurring in just a few months according to the post on the Blender press site:
On March 31st 2021, Blender Network will terminate its operations. All ongoing memberships will be cancelled and have their last payment refunded. The Blender Foundation Certified Trainer program (BFCT), which was already on hold, will also stop. The blendernetwork.org domain (and all URLs) will redirect to blender.org. No data will be preserved on the blendernetwork.org server, which will be discontinued.
Originally presented by Ton Roosendaal as a whitepaper in 2010, Blender Network’s mission was to facilitate the provisioning of services and support, connect users and promote professional Blender businesses. This mission has been carried out by the blendernetwork.org platform, providing visibility and business opportunities to several hundred individuals and organizations.
However, the incredible growth of the Blender community and the rise of social media have greatly reduced the need for a Blender-backed platform to provide legitimacy and visibility to professionals. For this reason, after almost a decade of operation, it is time to retire the platform.
Fortunately, out of the ashes rise a new phoenix, with Pablo Vazquez making the following announcement on Twitter.
Followed by the follow Tweet with more details:
Unfortunately there is no successor planned for the Blender Certification Program, that was already put on hold due to a lack of focus. You can learn more about the Blender Network sun-setting in the video below.