These 5 games are much more significant when you look at revenue rather then accounts. Their customer base is almost entirely in North America or Europe and almost entirely subscription based. Most of the games above them, WoW included have a majority of their players on pay per hour plans and typically make a lot less money per account then subscription based.
Interestingly enough URU did close for a few years but just recently relaunched.
No, Auto Assault did not shut down....geez...you could even read that here on this site. NCSoft wrote the game off last year (10 million dollars) right after launch. It could run indefinately now and still make them some money.
Earth and Beyond and Horizons are two of my favorites that were "shut down". OK, Horizons isn't officially down yet, but with all the billing and management issues, I hesitate to even hit the sites again. And, of course, my all-time favorite SWG. I think you can consider that one "shut down" since what's left in no way resembles what was. It's a whole new, and much worse, game now. In fact, I think that's what got most of us so upset...NGE was a whole new, different game than the one we'd paid for. An SWG-2 if you will. And we wouldn't have played it at all if presented that way. So, yeah, I consider SWG "shut down" and NGE as a new, bad MMO.
Looking at my game shelves here at Xixclan-Central, I notice a copy of AC2 still hanging out there. Funny, I think they shut down the game before I even had a chance to load it onto my machine (I was late getting to AC, it seems, and never did play).
-- Xix "I know what you're thinking: 'Why, oh WHY, didn't I take the BLUE pill?'"
That game looked pretty neat on paper, but they released it so unfinished it was pathetic. You had skills, but none of them had explanations. If you chose a skill there was no way to tell if it had a pre-requ until after you spent points on it. Falling though the world was common as was not being able to attack mobs right in front of you. Last I heard they closed and someone else bought the concept, but I have no idea where that game is going, if anywhere.
Carpe Diem? Maybe that's not a big time game, but I was to me.
I remember wanting to play that game so bad from seeing the trailers, and screenshots. When I finally got in the beta I was extremely let down. So much potential, but it failed horribly.
Well everyone is really digging here, the OP was asking specifically about "big name company" MMO's. The reality is very few, maybe 2 or 3 depending what you count as "big named" that actually ran for a bit and then shut down.
Maybe the OP could clarify if he is referring to games that didn't make it out of development or went bankrupt and got sold and are now run by someone else. I think he was pretty clear. Big name implies the companies like SOE, Turbine, NCSoft not Joe's development studio trying to put out Everjunk 20 the Saga of Humans vs Orcs.
Mainstream MMO's overall have a pretty good survival rate so far. Many of them do have "issues" but very few have shut down completely so far. That could change as they continue to age and newer better designed and more technologically advanced games release. Only time will tell.
Asheron's call 2 and Earth and Beyond. Horizons should be dead but isn't. They keep re-releasing it under new companies. I just hope they re-release it sometime and make it a great game.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ =The best bash.org quote ever= Curt teh Juggler: our graduation ceremony was today, and right when some gamer nerd got his diploma, someone in the audience played the zelda "get item" music and he did the zelda spin-hold-out-item stance Curt teh Juggler: it was quite possibly the most amazing thing ever.
Comments
These 5 games are much more significant when you look at revenue rather then accounts.
Their customer base is almost entirely in North America or Europe and almost entirely subscription based. Most of the games above them, WoW included have a majority of their players on pay per hour plans and typically make a lot less money per account then subscription based.
Was it an MMO or just a multiplayer?
I know that it was pretty hyped b4 it came out, then just kinda flopped
Interestingly enough URU did close for a few years but just recently relaunched.
No, Auto Assault did not shut down....geez...you could even read that here on this site. NCSoft wrote the game off last year (10 million dollars) right after launch. It could run indefinately now and still make them some money.
Earth and Beyond and Horizons are two of my favorites that were "shut down". OK, Horizons isn't officially down yet, but with all the billing and management issues, I hesitate to even hit the sites again. And, of course, my all-time favorite SWG. I think you can consider that one "shut down" since what's left in no way resembles what was. It's a whole new, and much worse, game now. In fact, I think that's what got most of us so upset...NGE was a whole new, different game than the one we'd paid for. An SWG-2 if you will. And we wouldn't have played it at all if presented that way. So, yeah, I consider SWG "shut down" and NGE as a new, bad MMO.
Looking at my game shelves here at Xixclan-Central, I notice a copy of AC2 still hanging out there. Funny, I think they shut down the game before I even had a chance to load it onto my machine (I was late getting to AC, it seems, and never did play).
-- Xix
"I know what you're thinking: 'Why, oh WHY, didn't I take the BLUE pill?'"
Phantasy Star Online: Sega has pretty much shut down most of the servers.
Tales of Eternia Online: Just lasted one year.
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/RZetlin
That game looked pretty neat on paper, but they released it so unfinished it was pathetic. You had skills, but none of them had explanations. If you chose a skill there was no way to tell if it had a pre-requ until after you spent points on it. Falling though the world was common as was not being able to attack mobs right in front of you. Last I heard they closed and someone else bought the concept, but I have no idea where that game is going, if anywhere.
This is the last think I read, http://rpgvault.ign.com/articles/709/709875p1.html That was a year ago almost to the day....
Who knows maybe they will re-release it?....Wonder if they will still honor my key?
Presentation for new MMORPG economics concept http://www.slideshare.net/talin/mmo-economics-concept-v-10
I remember wanting to play that game so bad from seeing the trailers, and screenshots. When I finally got in the beta I was extremely let down. So much potential, but it failed horribly.
Well everyone is really digging here, the OP was asking specifically about "big name company" MMO's. The reality is very few, maybe 2 or 3 depending what you count as "big named" that actually ran for a bit and then shut down.
Maybe the OP could clarify if he is referring to games that didn't make it out of development or went bankrupt and got sold and are now run by someone else. I think he was pretty clear. Big name implies the companies like SOE, Turbine, NCSoft not Joe's development studio trying to put out Everjunk 20 the Saga of Humans vs Orcs.
Mainstream MMO's overall have a pretty good survival rate so far. Many of them do have "issues" but very few have shut down completely so far. That could change as they continue to age and newer better designed and more technologically advanced games release. Only time will tell.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
=The best bash.org quote ever=
Curt teh Juggler: our graduation ceremony was today, and right when some gamer nerd got his diploma, someone in the audience played the zelda "get item" music and he did the zelda spin-hold-out-item stance
Curt teh Juggler: it was quite possibly the most amazing thing ever.