EA "Retires" Online Support For Older Games

[Andy Chalk]

EA "Retires" Online Support For Older Games

Electronic Arts is ending online support for many of its older and less-popular titles, including Army of Two, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Skate and Madden NFL 10.

Okay, before we get all "mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore" with EA, let's bear in mind that this isn't the first time [http://www.escapistmagazine.com/news/view/97200-EA-Shutting-Down-Older-Game-Servers-in-February] the publisher has pulled the plug on online support for its older and/or less-than-popular games. It's the circle of digital life: games are released, they're cool and we all love them at first, but then they get older and after awhile they're just not cool at all anymore, and eventually everyone stops paying attention to them and they get old and die. The moral of the story? Don't take it personally, I guess.

Anyway, here's the newest list of EA titles on the chopping block, beginning with those scheduled for retirement on August 11:


Army of Two for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
Army of Two Demo for Xbox 360
Battlefield 2142 Demo for PC
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat for Xbox 360
Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Demo for Xbox 360
Medal of Honor Airborne for PlayStation Portable
Medal of Honor Heroes 2 for PlayStation Portable and Wii
NASCAR 09 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (North America)
NCAA Basketball 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
NCAA Football 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
Need for Speed Most Wanted for PC and Xbox 360
Need for Speed Undercover for PlayStation Portable;
SKATE for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 for PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 Demo for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360


On October 1, two more games will follow them into oblivion:


Madden NFL 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
NHL 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360


"The decisions to retire older EA games are never easy. The development teams and operational staff pour their hearts into these games almost as much as the customers playing them and it is hard to see one retired," EA said in a statement [http://www.ea.com/1/service-updates] that has an odd ring of familiarity. "But as games get replaced with newer titles, the number of players still enjoying the older games dwindles below a point - fewer than one percent of all peak online players across all EA titles - where it's feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping these games up and running."



Permalink

 

[Irridium]

Why don't they just scrap their authentication servers for PC games? That should save some money.

Because asking permission to play the game I already bought to prove I didn't pirate it is just stupid.

 

[josemlopes]

Wow, this really sucks, I know people that still play Battlefield 2: MC on the Xbox 360, even I played it recently

 

[silverbullet1989]

Im prepared to be bombarded with people telling me im wrong... but its my understanding that a company chooses to close down support for games because they are no longer cost effective when it comes to keeping servers running for the game... so why dont they try and impliment servers like the pc games use to have, where anyone could buy and run a server... for instance if there was tht opertunity for halo 2 on the xbox, im sure many people would have raised funding for some servers to keep it running. I know its harder to justfiy on the consoles... im just curious as to why console games dont ever impliment a server browser to help over come problems like this... i think the only console game i ever remeber having anything like this was cod 3 ? anyway please dont flame me, just explain where im wrong so i can understand...

 

[LobsterFeng]

Oh shoot. My friend still play Medal of Honor: Airborne. I guess it's just for the PSP though.

 

[Retardinator]

See, this is why everyone should hate online activation and publisher/developer operated servers.

 

[rembrandtqeinstein]

If you play a game where the publisher runs the multiplayer server there is a guarantee it will be shut down someday.

That is why subscription/microtransation fees are a good thing because as long as enough money is made to support one guy doing server maintenance part of the day the server will stay live forever.

 

[Something Amyss]

See, this is why everyone should hate online activation and publisher/developer operated servers.

Unfortunately, people will go out and buy the new iterations in droves.

 

[vivster]

i wonder how much of EA's money goes towards server fees

though at least for pc games there should always be an option to host on personal servers

 

[bombadilillo]

Wow, pretty blatent Buy our new games to play online...

Siome of those games have last year stamped on the cover for cryin in the mud.

 

[-Dragmire-]

I wonder if taking down online support will also stop the authentication checking of those titles. I doubt it though.

 

[killamanhunter]

I wonder how long until people start ragging on EA for the sake of Ragging on EA?

Wow, pretty blatent Buy our new games to play online...

Siome of those games have last year stamped on the cover for cryin in the mud.

oh hey two posts above, that is 10 posts from the top for those of you keeping score.


OT: whatever as long as EA doesn't down the Battlefield 2 servers ever I'll be alright, though it does suck for the people who still play those games so, my heart goes out to you.

 

[twm1709]

This is why I don't buy online multiplayer focused games. They have an expiration date.

 

[Z of the Na'vi]

Army of Two for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360

That saddens me. I remember playing Army of Two over Xbox Live with my cousin years ago, back when that was literally the only co-op game we could play together, along with Crackdown. So many good hours were spent shouting at each other that we were down and needed help.

I suppose the game has been out for a while now, and after playing the sequel, it's rather cumbersome to play. Comparing the two, anyway.

Well, nothing left to do but look forward, I guess. Hrm.

 

[Korten12]

This is why I don't buy online multiplayer focused games. They have an expiration date.

Honestly EA the only one I see who keeps bringing down servers.

 

[Epona]

Are these games out of print or are they still printing and selling them new?

 

[Richard Allen]

Im prepared to be bombarded with people telling me im wrong... but its my understanding that a company chooses to close down support for games because they are no longer cost effective when it comes to keeping servers running for the game... so why dont they try and impliment servers like the pc games use to have, where anyone could buy and run a server... for instance if there was tht opertunity for halo 2 on the xbox, im sure many people would have raised funding for some servers to keep it running. I know its harder to justfiy on the consoles... im just curious as to why console games dont ever impliment a server browser to help over come problems like this... i think the only console game i ever remeber having anything like this was cod 3 ? anyway please dont flame me, just explain where im wrong so i can understand...

Oh you mean a reasonable way to extend our purchase by running our old servers? That's CRAZY, can't be done, INCONCEIVABLE!
The reason it isn't done that way is so publishers can force you to buy THEIR dlc and buy the new version every 2 years. What you said is reasonable and would be easy to implement, but it's not going to make them money so don't expect it.

Edit: replaced developers with publishers, I love the devs (I be one myself and I know how shitty publishers are)

 

[viranimus]

Well thats surprising. managing to illustrate and justify two points in the same action.

This is why it is important for all games to have a solid single player offline mode. Now I look specifically at a game like army of two, that is so reliant on multiplayer to the point it almost makes it worthless to own the game now.
This is why allowing publishers to turn games away from being a product and into being a service is a horrible idea that hurts every gamer. With a major selling point of these games being online play it is in effect the publisher, in this case EA who in their discretion decides to virtually invalidate what the consumer has paid their money for.

The sad thing is... its only going to get worse from here because no one wants to even see how these things are a problem even when it slaps them in the face like this, much less do anything to change it.

/sigh sheeple.