It's the year 2009. While the global economy is celebrating its overly dramatic suicide, governments around the world build up a wall of fear to protect against an uprising of their own people. The thunder of the collapsing credit economy drowns out the sound of the hectic attempts to dismantle the values and freedoms once gained at great cost - creating a safe distance to those who have yet to realize their losses.

It's hard times for the demoscene, an international group of young technology-focused artists.

Breakpoint, world's biggest family meeting for programmers, musicians and artists, always tried to be a bridge between the committed demosceners and the outside world, the IT industry and the electronic art scene. A bridge that now seems to lead into a dark abyss.

Breakpoint is facing its biggest challenge so far: In January 2009, our former main sponsors announced their quarterly financial statements for the Q4 2008. The repercussions of the global financial crisis now hit the demoscene with full force: our main sponsors won't be able to support Breakpoint 2009.

We're missing over half of our party budget, mere weeks before the party is about to start.

What first looked like the end of Breakpoint may well turn out to be its finest hour. In the last few days, all kinds of sceners in the know made perfectly clear that they're not going to let this party perish. We ask the scene to unite and make sure that Breakpoint will go on.

There will be a Breakpoint 2009. We have to cut costs, even where it hurts, and lots of the amenities of the last few years will be lost in the process. But by focusing on the core aspects of a successful demo party and with the support of the demo scene we can make our favourite easter meeting happen.

This isn't the time for couch sceners - this is the time to stand up for what we care about: our community of friendship, fair competition and technical prowess.

Please show your support for Breakpoint 2009. Here's what you can do:

• If you can afford it, please go buy a supporter ticket now!
• If you run a or work for a company that might be interested in sponsoring Breakpoint, have a look at our sponsoring section, tell them about it and try to make them sponsor some money (and possibly hardware prizes). If you need the official sponsoring brochure for that, contact main organizer scamp at , and he'll mail you a PDF.
• If you haven't done so, go buy your tickets to drive/fly/come to Breakpoint 2009. Really, there is no excuse for being a couch scener this time, we want every scener out there to come attend Breakpoint. After all, it's you, the sceners who are the most important aspect of the party.
• If you are living outside Germany, how about convincing your local scene to attend Breakpoint? How about arranging a shared car oder bus trip?