Sony Shutting Down MAG Servers

[StewShearerOld]

Sony Shutting Down MAG Servers

Sony will be shutting down servers for MAG and its SOCOM siblings at the beginning of 2014.

It seems like only yesterday that Sony was sales failed to put it even within striking distance of the FPS genre's <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/96054-Did-Modern-Warfare-2-Sell-7-Million-Copies-in-One-Day>most popular franchises. Sadly, Sony has now confirmed that PS3 server support for MAG, as well as the SOCOM titles, will be ending at the beginning of 2014.

The announcement came via a recent Tweet from the official PlayStation <a rhef=https://twitter.com/PlayStation/status/357258088035782657>Twitter account. "Advisory: Online multiplayer services for MAG, SOCOM Confrontation, and SOCOM 4 will be ending on 01/28/14." While there likely won't be too many weeping over the loss of the <a href=http://www.escapistmagazine.com/videos/view/reviews/3109-SOCOM-4-U-S-Navy-SEALs-Video-Review>SOCOM <a href=http://www.ign.com/articles/2008/10/31/socom-confrontation-review>titles, it is somewhat sad to see MAG come to an end. Despite its arguably underwhelming performance on the sales front, it had some fun ideas and the sheer scale of its battles is still pretty impressive today.

All of that said said, the shutdown of the game's servers is far from unexpected. Setting aside the coming of the PS4 in 2014, Zipper Interactive, the studio behind MAG and SOCOM, was closed down by <a href=http://www.ign.com/articles/2012/03/30/confirmed-sony-closes-zipper-interactive>Sony in 2012. Considering that its sales likely weren't in line with Sony's hopes to begin with, there isn't much incentive for the company to keep the game running. In the mean time, if you're a MAG devotee, we suggest you find 255 friends and take these next few months to give the game a final spin.

Source: <a href=http://www.ign.com/articles/2013/07/16/ps3-servers-for-mag-and-socom-4-being-shut-off>IGN


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[KingsGambit_v1legacy]

Another problem we never had before server hosting was taken away from gamers. This game isn't the first, and won't be the last. I just don't understand the thinking behind not giving us the ability to host our own dedicated servers. Are console owners incapable of entering an IP address? Are game developers incapable of coding in the ability to search for servers other than Sony/Microsoft ones?

 

[Grabehn]

Another problem we never had before server hosting was taken away from gamers. This game isn't the first, and won't be the last. I just don't understand the thinking behind not giving us the ability to host our own dedicated servers. Are console owners incapable of entering an IP address? Are game developers incapable of coding in the ability to search for servers other than Sony/Microsoft ones?

What are you talking about here? Giving CONSOLE owners... abilities? I call NONSENSE!

Now really, that would be quite hard since this things were supposed to hold what? 300 people in the same game? I'm asking since I can't really remember, but that would require a conversion from online based stats/progress/whatever to local which would require some work, it was an MMOFPS thou, and those will eventually close down if they're not profitable anymore, unless some other company jumps in to save it.

 

[TheComfyChair]

It's a pity considering it's the closest PS3 players can get to planetside 2 :<

 

[anthony87]

It's a pity considering it's the closest PS3 players can get to planetside 2 :<

It's going to be free on PS4 at least. Won't even need the PS+ subscription.

 

[Playful Pony]

I actually logged on to Battlefield 2142 the other day. It's been nearly 7 years since that game first came out, and even though it isn't one of those epics that people remember (my favorite BF game though!), there are STILL servers for it! The only reason is that there are still people interested enough in playing the game. That's all it takes with a PC game and privately hosted servers. Of course there are still servers for BF 1942 too. I have no idea if there are any for BF Vietnam... I love that game to death, but I can't find that damn book with the CD-key on it!

I never actaully played MAG, but a friend of mine told me that it really wasn't all that great. I guess it just ended up the same kind of disorganized rabble that Planetside 2 is these days X3.

 

[Colt47]

With the horrible set up of VoIP on PS3 I was surprised people kept it alive beyond a year. I remember my brother playing it and trying to find people who actually talked was like finding gold sifting through sand! Other than that, it was kind of an uninspired game to be honest. Planet Side 2 is basically the spiritual successor and it hasn't got enough variation to last beyond a month or so of play.

 

[Kungfu_Teddybear]

I'm surprised it took them this long to shut the servers for MAG down actually. Hasn't it been basically dead for like 3-4 years? Hell, a couple of months after its release I was struggling to find full games. It was a neat idea, but poorly executed.

 

[synobal]

I actually logged on to Battlefield 2142 the other day. It's been nearly 7 years since that game first came out, and even though it isn't one of those epics that people remember (my favorite BF game though!), there are STILL servers for it! The only reason is that there are still people interested enough in playing the game. That's all it takes with a PC game and privately hosted servers.

BF2142 was my favorite too, they had some great ideas, sadly Dice decided not to iterate upon them.

 

[RoBi3.0]

I am not surprised MAG was pretty much dead.

It's a pity considering it's the closest PS3 players can get to planetside 2 :<

There are a lot of MAG players playing DUST 514, and have been since it was in Beta

 

[Vanbael]

Mag, you were great in your day. But I've moved on. I'm sorry, but I have a new platform that I want to expand my life into. The PC give me a new chance, a new start. I'm sure your server space will be put to something, but until then I need to play a different game, and you're server space needs to be turned to a different game. SH! Don't speak... You'll be happier when a new IP hits your servers...

 

[jFr[e]ak93]

I almost bought this a few weeks ago. I just got my PS3 and remember thinking MAG sounded awesome when it first came out. Oh well, there's always Planet Side 2

 

[walrusaurus]

I've still never gotten over the fact that they couldn't come up w/ a better name than Massive Action Game.

 

[Skops]

Not entirely surprising, I re-installed MAG a few months ago and it's 2.5GBs worth of Patches and couldn't even get a game of Sabotage (64 player mode) going. The only mode I could get a game going was the Team Death Match 32 player mode called Supression.

Kinda sad really, despite it's very average looks and stiff animations, I really liked MAG. I'm probably one of the very few people who played it enough to earn all of the medals and trophies.

Honestly, I think MAG would've probably been much more popular and still kicking if it were a PC game. Console FPS gamers have a habit of playing a new title for month and moving on. Hell sometimes not even that, I picked up 007 Legends the week it came out and have never found anyone playing a game of Golden Gun.

 

[1337mokro]

Multiplayer only on a console = Do NOT Buy!

You'd be the stupidest person alive to buy those things. It's basically a guarantee to get shut down if there aren't enough players. Which certainly is the case with MAG and the few people still playing it are now just shit out of luck.

 

[Simalacrum]

Ok, now that the issues of servers shutting down is becoming more and more of a serious reality, especially for online-only games, something needs to dramatically change in the gaming industry regarding ownership of such titles.

Obviously, this problem is going to grow; servers can't stay up permanently, and truth be told while we might rage at publishers for doing so, its not really their fault; after all keeping servers up is expensive, especially for failed titles. It does mean, however, that the current model of payment - that of simply buying the game - doesn't work.

Early online-only titles that went with this model have kind of been short sighted, without really thinking about the problems down the road; by simply buying and 'owning' the game, really a consumer should expect that product to continue to work indefinitely, so long as the product itself (that is, the disk or the hard drive with the game in it) isn't damaged? but we obviously can't have that if the servers die and the game is henceforth completely useless.

There are two things that need to happen: 1) online-only games need to adopt a different method of payment, such as subscription or free-to-play, and ditch the 'traditional' model entirely; its simply not compatible. 2) online-only games that do go with the traditional model need to offer some sort of compensation to those consumers who will be affected by the shut-down, such as offering a discount to purchase a similar title.

 

[crepesack]

Multiplayer only on a console = Do NOT Buy!

You'd be the stupidest person alive to buy those things. It's basically a guarantee to get shut down if there aren't enough players. Which certainly is the case with MAG and the few people still playing it are now just shit out of luck.

Yes it's totally not worth it because it's not like you can play the game until the servers get shut down.

 

[Jazoni89]

Some of my favorite online console memories are from MAG, it may of been a bit imbalanced and broken, especially since they had to patch the damn game more times that World of Warcraft even, but i loved the game to bits.

Even though I haven't played it in years due to the lack in numbers for truly big games like it was back when it was new (250 player games for example were totally epic), i'm still sad to see it go.

Rest in Piece MAG, you was too ambitious for your own good, and the console playerbase was not ready for you. Maybe the game would of fared much better on PC, what with the way the game was with the amount of players required for decent games, when everyone else on consoles was playing the new multiplayer spunkgargleweewee shooter, rather than a multiplayer shooter that required good tactics, thinking and team play.

Shame there will not be a MAG 2, as Zipper is long dead now.

Also, i shall say this, screw you, you Valor dickheads with you spawn sniping tactics, Raven for life bitches!

 

[1337mokro]

Multiplayer only on a console = Do NOT Buy!

You'd be the stupidest person alive to buy those things. It's basically a guarantee to get shut down if there aren't enough players. Which certainly is the case with MAG and the few people still playing it are now just shit out of luck.

Yes it's totally not worth it because it's not like you can play the game until the servers get shut down.

Of course you can, but you can't afterwards. It's basically plastic with metal inside it taking up space on your shelf. If it's not a console multiplayer only game you can play it whenever you want.

I can go play Battlefield, the first one right now. You'd be lucky if you can still play BF3 3 years after BF4 launched.