Having an online-only service can have many benefits for game companies and players alike. It allows continuous updates of content and endless player interactions for as long as the developers see fit. The downside with these games, especially MMORPGs is that eventually, someone’s going to have to flip the “off” switch.RELATED: Games With Great PvE MultiplayerThere is any number of reasons an MMO could be shut down. The player base is too small, the servers are too expensive, the company running them goes bust could all lead to an online world being destroyed in an instant. No matter how small, when an MMO dies, members of that community are going to be sad and will spend many years fondly remembering their time in that world.
8 Marvel Heroes
Marvel can never seem to get it right when it comes to their games department. Few Marvel video games have been able to truly nail the fun-loving experience the films and comics have made so successful. One of their attempts that could be considered a mixed bag is Marvel Heroes.
This game initially launched in 2013 to a lukewarm reception, averaging just 58 on Metacritic. However, Developers Gazillion Entertainment wasn’t deterred, relaunching the game as Marvel Heroes Omega on PS4 and Xbox One in 2016. This version was much better received, averaging 83 on Metacritic for the PS4 version, however, that didn’t stop the entire thing from being shut down in December 2017 after Disney pulled the license for the game and Gazillion Entertainment went into liquidation.
7 Asheron’s Call
Launched in 1999, Asheron’s Call was published by Microsoft and stood the test of time for many years. Initially, it competed with fellow fantasy MMORPG EverQuest and was established enough that the surge of popularity of World of Warcraft didn’t kill it.
Running of the servers was handed to the developers, Turbine, in 2004 and then to Warner Bros. Interactive Entertainment in 2010 after it purchased Turbine. The game would stay running until 2017, when Turbine, now known as WB Games Boston, announced it would no longer be working on MMOs and shut down the servers for good.
6 The Matrix Online
The Matrix is another franchise that has seen its fair share of disappointing video games. Something about the nature of film tie-in games made it difficult for studios to capture the innate cool-factor of the franchise in its gameplay, no doubt restricted by the technology of the time.
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In 2005, The Matrix Onlinelaunched to decent reviews, averaging 69 on Metacritic. Players got to enjoy a story approved by the Wachowskis and a unique combat system. While it had a decent player base at first, the developers failed to retain an interest in the game, and by 2009 the player count was low enough that Sony decided it was no longer financially viable to keep the servers running.
5 Club Penguin
Due to its unique kid-friendly nature, it’s no surprise that Club Penguin got as big as it did, reaching over 200 million users at its peak. It launched in 2005 and quickly became popular amongst young people of the time, winning approval points with parents for its harmless nature.
The game lasted long enough that people who played it as kids eventually returned much older filled with nostalgia in their hearts. Eventually, Disney took over running it and the game slowly went into decline as Disney prepared multiple other games to eventually replace it. The servers were shut down in 2017, but the player base didn’t move to any of the new games as Disney had hoped. Instead, the large, and somewhat shady world of private servers has kept the game alive in an unofficial capacity ever since.
4 WildStar
Developed by Carbine Studios, a team composed of former Blizzard employees, WildStar was hailed as the safe haven for players who had fallen out with the direction of World of Warcraft in the early 2010s. The studio was founded in 2005, but after looking for various options, the team decided they would create their own engine from scratch, which took many years.
After being first revealed in 2011, the game officially launched in 2014. The game reviewed well, averaging 82 on Metacritic, but player counts were not to the numbers the publisher, NCSoft had hoped. Under a year later, the game would go free-to-play, but even that didn’t boost the numbers to acceptable levels. The game continued to limp on, but in 2018 NCSoft closed Carbine Studios, which killed WildStar in the process.
3 The Sims Online
Given the popularity of The Sims in the early 2000s, an MMO variant seemed like a surefire hit. The non-violent nature of the game brought in a wide casual market, and more hardcore gamers still loved the franchise for its quirky nature.
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The game went on to do fairly well for most of the decade, but interest slowly waned naturally, especially with EA still releasing regular single-player installments in The Sims franchise. EA would try to boost the game’s popularity in 2008 by rebranding the game as EA-Land, but this was an absolute failure, as the whole thing was shut down just four weeks later.
2 City Of Heroes
One of the biggest MMOs to eventually be shut down, City of Heroes tapped into the superhero market that was being severely unrepresented in the mid-2000s. Marvel Comics would sue published NCSoft over some characters in the game, but this was eventually settled out of court.
The game was beloved by players and scored well with critics, selling 300,000 copies by 2006. The game saw 23 major content updates in its history and became big enough that a second development studio was eventually brought on to help with the game, which eventually took over entirely. Sadly, it couldn’t last forever, and Paragon Studios announced its closure in 2012, with City of Heroes being shut down before the end of the year.
1 Star Wars Galaxies
While it has undoubtedly seen some stinkers in its time, the Star Wars franchise has done very well for itself on the video game side of things. The property has been carefully cared for over the years, and many beloved classics and cult hits carry the Star Wars name.
Star Wars Galaxies was launched by Sony in 2003 and was an instant hit, averaging 71 on Metacritic. Unfortunately, sales figures were below company expectations, which was looking for upwards of 1 million subscriptions. The game marched on for another 5 years, though, but it was announced it’d be closed in 2011. The game stopped accepting new accounts in September, however, existing players could continue to play for free until December, when it was shut down for good.
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