Big news from EA this week about online service updates coming as soon as June 30th. EA will be pulling more than 50 titles with online multiplayer components and it could affect some games you still play. This can be frustrating news to those of us who still play some of these titles. There are several games that I still play with friends or family and several that are really only fun in multiplayer format so it’s a real let-down that they are pulling them offline. I can respect and understand that an online game will have a lifespan and that it is not reasonable to expect them to be supported forever but it’s still sad to hear this news.
Check out the list of 50 titles yourself and see if any of your favorite games are on there. Take note of the following Star Wars games on the list:
– Star Wars: Battlefront for PC and PlayStation 2
– Star Wars: Battlefront II for PC and PlayStation 2
From the announcement:
The online multiplayer components of 50 EA titles are to be disabled on June 30 as part of the publisher’s latest wave of server shutdowns.
The closures affect a variety of popular titles, including Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3, Command & Conquer: Generals, Crysis 2 and Crysis Warhead, and multiple Battlefield titles, including Battlefield 2, Battlefield 2142 and Battlefield Vietnam. The PS3 version of Bulletstorm will also be taken offline.
Some of the closures are believed to be linked to GameSpy’s imminent server switch off.
EA had previously suggested that some of the titles affected, such as Battlefield 2 and Battlefield 2142, would remain online following GameSpy’s closure, stating that it was “working on transitioning those games after the shut down so you’ll still be able to play them”. That doesn’t appear to be the case anymore, however.
The full list of affected titles includes:
– Battlefield 1942 for PC and Mac (including The Road to Rome and Secret Weapons of WW2 expansions)
– Battlefield 2 for PC (including Special Forces expansion)
– Battlefield 2: Modern Combat for PlayStation 2
– Battlefield 2142 for PC and Mac (including Northern Strike expansion)
– Battlefield Vietnam for PC
– Bejeweled (r) 2 for the Wii
– Bulletstorm for PlayStation 3
– Command & Conquer 3: Tiberium Wars for PC and Mac (including Kane’s Wrath expansion)
– Command & Conquer: Generals for PC and Mac (including Zero Hour expansion)
– Command & Conquer: Red Alert 3 for PC and Mac
– Crysis 2 for PC
– Crysis for PC
– Crysis Wars for PC
– Dracula – Undead Awakening for the Wii
– Dragon Sakura for Nintendo DS
– EA Sports 06 for PC
– F1 2002 for PC
– FIFA Soccer 08 (KOR) for the Wii
– FIFA Soccer 08 for Nintendo DS
– FIFA Soccer 09 for Nintendo DS
– FIFA Soccer 10 for Nintendo DS
– FIFA Street 3 for Nintendo DS
– Full Spectrum Warrior: Ten Hammers for PlayStation 2
– Global Operations for PC
– GREEN DAY: ROCK BAND for the Wii
– James Bond: Nightfire for PC
– Madden NFL 08 for Nintendo DS
– Madden NFL 09 for Nintendo DS
– Master of Orion III for PC
– Medal of Honor: Allied Assault for PC and Mac (including Breakthrough and Spearhead expansions)
– MySims Party for Wii
– MySims Racing for Nintendo DS
– MySims SkyHeroes for the Wii and DS
– NASCAR Sim Racing for PC
– NASCAR Thunder 2003 for PC
– NASCAR Thunder 2004 for PC
– Need for Speed: Hot Pursuit 2 for PC
– Need for Speed: ProStreet for Nintendo DS
– Need for Speed: Undercover for Nintendo DS
– Neverwinter Nights 2 for PC and Mac
– Neverwinter Nights for PC, Mac and Linux (including Hordes of the Underdark and Shadows of Undrentide expansions)
– SimCity Creator for Wii
– Skate It for Nintendo DS
– Sneezies for the Wii
– Spore Creatures for Nintendo DS
– Spore Hero Arena for Nintendo DS
– Star Wars: Battlefront for PC and PlayStation 2
– Star Wars: Battlefront II for PC and PlayStation 2
– THE BEATLES: ROCK BAND for the Wii
– Tiger Woods PGA Tour 08 for Nintendo DS
