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Has Any Major MMO Died Yet?
Majestico
Member UncommonPosts: 481
I've been playing MMO's for a couple of years now, and after hearing about LotR's expansion plans, I began to wonder how long a triple A title can last. I'm unsure if a precedent has already been set, as in, has their been any major MMORPG that has been cancelled? I know of a couple that this has happened too, but I would not strictly class them as major titles. If there has been, what was the game, and the reason for cancellation?
If people are still playing UO ten years later, then I reckon WoW could be here for at least 15-20 years. Maybe not as big and popular as it is now, but in some form.
Just wondered what you guys thought.
Comments
Auto Assault died and sims online is closing its doors soon i think.
Not a major one.
Some minor ones were closed such as Earth and Beyond and Auto Assault.
The second most played P2P MMORPG in the world right now has been there for 10 years.
R.I.P. Earth and Beyond
I actually enjoyed that game. Had its flaws and things it could have done better, but it was still a lot of fun.
- - "What if the hokey pokey really is what it's all about?" - -
I don't think any AAA title has shut it's doors... Although, Sigil going out of business may be something to consider... Vanguard is still around though. Personally, I think even popular games with low subs can still stay in business because:
1. Technology is cheap
2. MMOs can have different markets. Not popular in the US? Maybe it's huge in Asia or the EU.
Just my 2 cents.
No, no major MMO has had to shut down.
In fact, very few MMOs that have released to retail have had to shut down.
Asheron's Call 2
Every MMO by EA except Ultima Online
Auto Assault
So what do you guys think will be shelf-life of these AAA titles? Do you think they will still be around in some manner, for another 20 years or so?
If I am correct in saying that WoW now has over 10 million subs, then I think it may be here for 30 years. Perhaps at such a time, it will be a niche game, with say 50,000 subs, but it is such a behemoth then there will always be a hardcore fan-base that will support it.
Of course, ny that time, technology will have advanced to such an extent that it will look very archiac. But, the fans will not mind that. Also, you will have people playing for the nostalgia fashion. It'll be curious to see how the future will deal with WoW - LotrO- and the like.
Hmm, look out for PotBS, not sure if that is going to be around for too much longer, but who knows, it was made by a small company and perhaps they have small overheads and could keep it going, still turning over a marginal profit.
O_o o_O
i loved earth and beyond. i am a huge sci-fi geek, so to have a sci-fi mmo was a dream. i was devestated when they shut the doors, but i didn't mind too much because EvE was released and i had a better sci-fi experience with it.
i still think they should bring back E&B f2p.
Is Shadowbane done as well?
Gods and Heroes never launched, so I guess that don't count..
You must not have loved E&B that much. It's not in your sig as one of the games you've played.
Until you cancel your subscription, you are only helping to continue the cycle of mediocrity.
Asheron Call 2 is the biggest one I can think of.
Ryzom?
_________________
Senhores da Guerra
Meridian 59 and Sierra's the Realm I think are gone, and those were the first 2 around '96 or so. Although I thought I had read somewhere that someone was trying to resurrect Meridian 59. Neverwinter Nights on the AOL system also closed up shop (back when they actually charged you by the hour) several years ago.
http://www.speedtest.net/result/7300033012
Earth & Beyond was not so much a minor MMO. Back when it was active its subscription numbers were pretty close to a normal MMO... aside from EQ of course.
I still remember the sunset message: "We are closing E&B in order to put its resources to new games to bring you a better experience"
Then they went and announced "The Sims Online"
"And after blizzard takes over the world, they are gonna gather a bunch of lemmings, sit on their fat asses near a cliff, and watch the little fuzzy bastards suicide dive into the ground below. . . . . all just for their own entertainment."
if you're only defining LOTRO, AoC and WoW as AAA titles then will have to wait and see, I can't any of them closing. However, if you're being more inclusive than that, AC2, Earth and Beyond, Auto-Assault all were shut down.
the Realm is still around..don't know the numbers though..so is Meridian 59 ..small numbers
Actually, M59 still has a server running and you can even play a free trial of The Realm. I know. - who'd a thunk? A couple of 3DO devs bought M59 around 2002 and have managed to keep it running. I think AC2 is the biggy so far, though. Strangely, last year we saw a box in a shop in New Jersey. I lol'd. Horizons still seems to muddle through although I've heard population is very very low. I don't know about Ryzom. I think their website is dead. There was that Rubies of Eventide and Mourning, too, but they were pretty small endeavours in comparison. A lot of people considered Mourning to be some sort of scam, anyway.
Asheron call 2
i miss this one a lot !
Rubies of Eventide went free to play. You can still play it. Very low pop.
I almost want to say Wish, just because it was so darn close to release, and what a great 3 hour open beta that was lol.
The Realm is still going,not strong but hanging in there..actually it's the longest running mmorpg and was in beta before M59.
It's not dead. Check out the official website. The forums came back online today too. Woot
Me to. It is probably the biggest MMO to be shut down to date.
Didnt Sims Online shut down recently? Maybe not a major mmo, but I think it was expected to do much better than what it did.