EA Dropping Online Support for 20 Games

[PapaStu]

Nevermind when it was released. If I could buy it new six months ago, they should still support it.

I can still walk into some stores and buy NEW N64 and PS games (I very recently bought new PS games in store at a Fry's Electronics, that have been in that store since released in 2004 and I know of WalMarts that still have new N64 games in their cases for sale too). Nintendo and Sony should still support those systems! Come on, a publisher can't control stock once its been shipped to a vendor like that. They produce a quantity (and in the case of sports games that are popular, they produce ALOT) and they then sell those games to the stores.

I find it really odd that madden 08 is not shut down but 09 will be. Why do more people still play 08? Whoever is saying that since their are no online achievements for madden 09 its not a big deal to shut it down needs to open their eyes. Do some of you really think the majority of gamers buy a game for the achievements. Especially a madden game. People buy madden to get their football fix.

I said there were no achievements. When games with online achievements are dropped, those achievements are never achieveable again. You can still play your copy of Madden after the servers are dropped. You guys are acting like you're not going to be able to play the damn game at all. All it means is no ONLINE Vs. You can still play single player and MP (on a single console) to your hearts content.

I've got no clue as to why Madden 08 is still up, but maybe there is still a very strong community, I honestly don't know.

Again, I totally agree that its complete shit that servers are being dropped while that service (XBL/PSN) are still active and being supported by the services manuafacturer. But thats how EA wanted it and thats how they got it.

[s1lence]

Madden 08 is going down, they updated the list (Link in my previous post)

February 9, 2010 Online Service Shutdown
FIFA 07 for PC
Madden 07 for Xbox 360
Madden 08 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PC, Wii and Xbox 360
NHL® 08 for PC
Tiger Woods PGA TOUR® 07 for PC
UEFA Champions League™ 07 for PC

[Oobgarm]

I love their quote:

All of us at EA would like to thank you for your valued participation in our online gaming community and hope that your enthusiasm for these games extends to our current lineup and beyond.

So yes, it's basically a "time to upgrade" move.

[garagesaleking!!]

So it was a mistake? and actually its 08 and not 09 being shut down?

[Shadow Kisuragi]

So it was a mistake? and actually its 08 and not 09 being shut down?

Nope, 09 is being shut down.

April 6, 2010 Online Service Shutdown
Madden 09 for PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable, Wii and Xbox 360

[SegaAges]

The only thing that scares me about this is something that flack partially covered, the big picture.

Me, I do alot of pc gaming. As we all know, whether we like it or not, EA loves to pump DRM crap into their pc games. Many of the games require you to connect to the internet and to a EA server in order to play the game. A big example: Spore. Whether you like the game or not, some of us play it and enjoy it. I am actually one of those people.

EA dropped Maxis (I do not know if they did already, but if they have not dropped Maxis, they plan on doing so). Spore sold well, but with the drop of Maxis, how long will the Spore servers even be up.

This is a double dose of "dirty assholes" from what I am seeing. We found out they were dropping the Maxis people very briefly when news came out about Pandemic.

Now news is coming out about EA shutting down servers to essentially direct gamers to play the games EA wants them to play that they put out.

It is only a short amount of time before my legit copy of Spore is useless, which is completely retarded.

How many other games are they going to do this with?

Probably enough to piss people off. Of course I do not like it, but honestly, m$ should have also stood their ground and said xbl or no dice.

[Leo_A]

Maxis is just an EA owned internal development studio.

I'm unaware of it being closed and I'm unable to find any evidence or even rumors saying it might be. But Spore sold quite well and continues to be supported and has just saw a expansion pack be released a few months back, so I'm sure Spore will live on even if Maxis ceases to exist. It's sold millions of units and continues to be widely available and sold, and they're expanding the franchise to other platforms.

I imagine the servers are handled elsewhere within EA (Probably by the same department handling the games we're dicussing now at the same locations), and support for Spore and other traditional Maxis lines like SimCity and The Sims would just shift elsewhere within EA if they decided to shutter the studio, just like what went on with the Command & Conquer franchise which lives on despite Westwood Studios being closed by EA a few years after it's acquisition.

[SegaAges]

Maxis is just an EA owned internal development studio.

I'm unaware of it being closed and I'm unable to find any evidence or even rumors saying it might be. But Spore sold quite well and continues to be supported and has just saw a expansion pack be released a few months back, so I'm sure Spore will live on even if Maxis ceases to exist. It's sold millions of units and continues to be widely available and sold, and they're expanding the franchise to other platforms.

I imagine the servers are handled elsewhere within EA (Probably by the same department handling the games we're dicussing now at the same locations), and support for Spore and other traditional Maxis lines like SimCity and The Sims would just shift elsewhere within EA if they decided to shutter the studio, just like what went on with the Command & Conquer franchise which lives on despite Westwood Studios being closed by EA a few years after it's acquisition.

Right on. I forgot about C&C. Good point bro