Analytics: MMORPG cemetery. Why are they closing?

Closing the online game – dramatic event. For many, the online worlds become the second home: they spend all their free time there, relax from worldly worries, make friends. And when, by the will of some company, you are taken away from your dear world, it seems that you have lost something big and important. Recently, MMORPG, who did not live up to the expectations of publishers, is becoming more and more. So why are they closing?

2005: Asheron’s Call 2

Asheron’s Call always in the shade Everquest. Although the laudatory reviews were trampled by both games, only Everquest received a cult status. However, this did not interfere with AC grow and develop, attracting new fans. Company Turbine monthly issued additions, expanding the already rather big world. An unusual fighting, skill pumping system, interesting PVP, thought out craft, the ability to build a mansion and explore hundreds of dungeons brought AC reputation MMOG with the most diverse and rich content. The only thing that repelled newcomers was terrible graphics. If in 1999 it was not so noticeable, then a few years later, few agreed to manage a man of hundreds or two landfills.

Understanding this, Turbine began to develop a sequel and released in November 2002 Asheron’s Call 2: Fallen Kings. Events took place on the planet Auberian already familiar to us, who survived the cataclysm. Mmorpg has become an order of magnitude more beautiful – this is true. But instead of improving the rest of the AC elements, the developers completely changed the rules of the game. Now there was no NPC in the world. The creators wanted Auberian to inhabit only living characters.

Trophies rarely fell from the monsters, and those that managed to get, often turned out to be useless. Unlike the first part, it was impossible to enter the houses – they served only decorations. And at the level 30, the thread of the content suddenly broke off, and the subscribers had to fill with another 20 levels with a grind (that is, multiple killing monsters). A game that was famous for freedom, diversity and plot tasks turned into a beautiful Grindilka. It was also tight with the balance: the defender, for example, was almost immortal and Tropic Slots Casino was cut into a light one with any opponents.

Say that AC veterans were disappointed – to say nothing. Most of them decided to stay in the first part. An addition to the time Asheron’s Call 2: Legions could not attract new players, and when the base of subscribers fell to 15 thousand, Turbine surrendered. Developers were transferred to other projects – Star Trek Online , Dungeons & Dragons Online And Lord of the Rings Online. And on August 25, 2005, the head of the company Jeff Andersen said that the game would not live to Christmas.

Those who managed to love AC2 accused Turbine of poor marketing and insufficient advertising, but could no longer stop the countdown. It only remained to enjoy the last 4 months and say goodbye to each other. On December 30, the creators held the last game event, scattering chests with gifts around the world. Players collected eggs that instantly increase the level healing any wounds or transferring to the most remote corners of the world – even those that were previously opened exclusively for gammasters. And shortly before the server turning off, the players made a pilgrimage to the mountain, which was remembered by everyone as Goodbye Peak – the last refuge of the most devoted fans.

2007: Fury

Developers of MMO-fiting Fury approached PR on a grand scale. A few weeks before the release, a tournament was announced Fury Challenge with a prize fund of a million dollars (though not in cash, but in timecards and souvenirs), on many sites there was a banner: “Are you ready for the best PVP of all time?". The creators did not spare the epithets. The MMO community believed and was looking forward to a pure PVP game, where there is no order of boring quests, dungeons and bosses.

Company Auran even planned to bring Fury to the e -sports arena. For this, the game seemed to have everything necessary: ​​a dynamic fighter, colorful effects, many skills, a good balance, attractive graphics (Unreal Engine 3 engine). But the reality was not so rainbow.

Alarm bulbs caught fire in the first months of the release, when the general care of the subscribers began. Many simply did not understand how to develop their fighter, where to buy skills and what is the meaning of fights. Charter to look for the necessary coach among the accumulations of the NPC, the newcomers went to the arena in what the mother gave birth to, and having died in a couple of seconds, asked: “And this is the best PVP game?»Lack of optimization and eternal lags only poured oils into the fire.

When only a bunch of loyal fans remained in the game, competing with each other for a place in the ranking, Auran decided on a desperate step. The game was transferred to a free model, and the player camp was divided. On the one hand, there were those who paid to the cashier and received huge privileges (powerful armor, improved skills), on the other hand, those who played for free and with all his desire could not compete with the "raiders". But the developers promised that everyone would be equal! A wave of indignation covered the game, and Fury began to lose even the most devoted fans.

By the beginning of 2007, it became clear that Fury did not stay long. Auran for some time tried to find a solution for how to save players and reduce costs, but in August the time has expired. “Excuse me that we could not find a suitable model and extend the life of the game,” were the last words of the developers addressed to players.

2007: Auto Assault

In 2006, when the MMOG ball is a fantasy rule, a small company NetDevil I decided on the experiment. She created a game where it was proposed to manage not an elf or orc, but a sophisticated wheelbarrow in a post -apocalyptic future. Improving cars, players participated in races and hot shootings. Winning, earned money for tuning.

The idea of ​​the confrontation of people, cyborgs and mutants seemed wonderful, fans of the "Mad Max" at all forums trumpeted that AA will become a hit. But although the game turned out to be unusual and interesting enough, hope NCSOFT , publisher, rowing money from her with a shovel did not materialize.

AA system requirements exceeded the configuration of the average gaming computer, and this scared many newcomers. And the fans who were ready to spend on an upgrade collided with a lot of flaws: a clumsy balance in PVP, non -working missions, the absence of high -level content (after reaching the upper bar, it only remained to cut on combat areas).

Many were disappointed that the authors nevertheless added attributes of fantasy MMOG: cars could treat each other, and some tasks were completely perplexed. Who, for example, could think of collecting flowers in the post -wire future?

Despite all this, the game collected a small but stable base of subscribers. If the developers added content and corrected shortcomings, AA could live for a long time. But NCSOFT decided that since the project has no superprofits, then he does not have the future. Upon learning of this, the fans tried to reach the leadership of NCSOFT, were indignant at the forums, offered to support the server on their own. But on August 31, 2007, someone pressed the Red button-and AA disappeared from the face of the earth forever.

A game that has not lasted and six months

The average life cycle of a failure online game is a year and a half. Mmorpg rarely close earlier, because developers can always be discouraged by an unsuccessful start, and the publisher, hoping to repel at least some money, continues to support servers.

However, it makes no sense to wait for more than a year and a half: the release excitement subsides, people switch to other projects, and if the developers could not stretch Mmorpg in 16-18 months, then there is nothing to catch further. But there are exceptions – in 2006, for example, a very promising, but extremely stupid running game came out and immediately closed and immediately closed Seed.

While the creators of some MMOG tried to make the combat system more dynamic, and bosses – stronger and more cunning, Danish company Runestone Game Development released a game where there were no fights at all. Seed proposed to feel like a colonist who ended up on a distant planet in the company of the same lost souls.

According to the plot, earthlings sent five vessels into space to search for worlds suitable for settlement, provided them with a computer with artificial intelligence and DNA samples for growing people. Many years later, the spacecraft with our heroes discovered a suitable planet, landed and began terraforming.

However, players could not see with their own eyes the new alma matster-the authors promised this opportunity later. Therefore, it remained only to roam the closed spacecraft, study all kinds of compartments and communicate with other colonists.

SEED was the first social MMOG, where everything was spinning around the communication and interaction of players. Colonists had to solve pressing problems together, create groups of interests and fight for power – in general, do what people who find themselves in a limited territory are usually doing.

When RGD launched beta testing, everyone noted the originality and potential of the project (there, among other things, there was a cartoon schedule-the game world seemed to leave the pages of comics). But the bugs turned out to be an simply inconceivable amount. The fall of the server every 15 minutes, failures underground, terrible lags … Against the background of all this statement of the developers, that the release will come about, seemed to be an unsuccessful joke. Testers asked to postpone a fatal day, predicted a disaster. But, as it turned out, RGD just had no choice. The money was over, the publisher was never found, I had to decide – now or never.

The release of the SEED took place on May 2, 2006, and on this day the game was more like an alpha version than a finished product. Even entering the game world was a big problem. Fans talked in the IRC channel and spent more time there than in the game itself: in the chat certainly nothing bugged and did not fall.

It could not continue for a long time, and exactly five months after the launch, the developers stopped the agony of SEED. A few MMOs since then managed to break this record.

2009: Tabula Rasa

Richard Garriott’s Tabula Rasa was one of the most anticipated online games. An unusual setting, a specially invented language, epic battles of the wall on the wall … But the main thing is that the project was behind Richard Garriot, father Ultima Online. How can you not imbue big hopes?

The fans imagined the next generation MMOG and infected the rest with their enthusiasm, the rating of expectation went through. Illusions began to dissipate when it was time for beta testing. The players realized that they expected too much from TR. Dynamic shootouts, collection of characters, studying a foreign language, smart enemies … All this could not hide the main drawback of TR – lack of depth.

The game could not offer anything but an endless war with aliens. Having reached the maximum level, the subscribers asked in surprise: “What now?"The developers could only shrug and make vague promises that over time everything would be. But time passed, but nothing new appeared. Worse, new patches radically changed the balance and capabilities of different classes, which annoyed players.

Fans could not even entertain themselves with the breeding of alternative characters. Content was barely enough for one linear passage, and a vaunted cloning system made the creation of altas meaningless. After all, it was possible to save a developed character at any moment, and then do the same with a new profession. There were no peaceful territories in the game, where players could take a break from battles, chat with each other and participate in events. Every day in TR passed the same script.

Veterans saw that the game was rolling into the abyss. One of the most reputable clans was set by NCSOFT an ultimatum: either the company will listen to the opinion of people who better see TR problems, and will solve them in the allotted time, or say goodbye to the most devoted part of the community. The deadline has expired, the developers continued to be inactive, and the base of the subscribers began to melt before our eyes.

When 30-40 thousand people are left in the game, NCSoft decided to close the project. The news turned out to be unexpected, since many online games had a smaller audience and continued to exist. But NCSOFT prepared more promising MMOG to the exit and did not want to spend strength on a ugly duckling. Yes, and with Richard Garriot, who stated that Ncsoft fired him unlawfully and even brought the case to court, the most pleasant story came out ..

On February 28, 2009, the last event was held, in which the players tried to prevent aliens from capturing the resistance camps. The most successful was even lucky to see new units and unfinished locations, but since the enemies controlled Gammamaster, they easily crushed the remnants of earthlings. Subscribers saw the famous line "All Your Base Are Belong to Us" – and the screen darkened.

2009: Shadowbane

Shadowbane , Released in March 2003, immediately attracted the attention of PVP lovers. The game was really unusual: large -scale battles and sieges, an incredibly flexible system of development of the hero, the opportunity to take all trophies from the victim, conclude military unions, and influence the world. Add to this huge expanses, several continents and myriads of the islands-and you will understand why the game entered the ten best-selling PC games of its time.

But, as it usually happens when MMOG does a small company, Shadowbane came out ahead of time and was very funny. And the graphics did not cause optimism even at the time of the release.

Technical difficulties and the output of more noticeable MMOG affected popularity, in a short time the game changed several owners, until in March 2006 the new owners decided to make it completely free. The costs of supporting servers were paid from the advertising that the players saw when starting and withdrawal from Shadowbane, as well as after the death of the character. But most fans stood up for the game. Administrators and Heimmaster tried to save the project with all their might, laying out funds from their pockets.

In the spring of 2008, a unique event took place in the history of online games: the SHADOWBANE support service decided to make a restart of servers, removing the characters and giving everyone the opportunity to start with a clean sheet. The announcement said that this was done to improve performance and balance. There were many reports with protests on the forum, but in general the gaming community supported the idea. On the eve of the five -year anniversary of Shadowbane, three servers healed a new life: the fans were sure that now everything would be fine.

Alas, the holiday did not last long. A year later, the brooks of advertising money was practically dried up, and other sources of financing of the administration could not be found. In April 2009, the company Stray Bullet Games announced the closure of the project. For fans, many of whom played from the very release, it sounded like a thunder among a clear sky. The developers received thousands of petitions from all over the globe with a request to preserve the great game. Thanks to this devotion and cohesion of the players, Shadowbane lasted several months, but on July 1 she still slammed her doors.

However, the fans did not calm down even then. Raising the sources and connecting talented programmers, they created a private Shadowbane server, which can be found on the site Shadowbaneemulator.Com. Many veterans are now playing there. For the rest, Shadowbane forever remained in memory as the most hardcore online game.

2009: Matrix Online

The cult film of the Vachovsky brothers forced to think: “What if it is true? What if everything around is a lie and agents nearby?"There were a lot of people who wanted to check whether the matrix exists, but since in real life they have to evade bullets and fly in the clouds, Sony Online Entertainment Launched for fans Matrix Online. There it was possible to evade bullets, and bounce off the asphalt, like a trampoline, and do a lot more … but very shortly.

Despite the popularity of movie trilogy, game Monolith Productions did not gain special recognition. The city of Mega City, where all the events took place, seemed cardboard, the gameplay was different from the mainstream MMOG – it was difficult for beginners to get comfortable, monotonous missions evicted longing, bugs climbed out of all the cracks, clumsy animation finished. The players were held by the beloved universe, an interesting fighting, a thoughtful development system (combat skills were loaded into the character of the character, as in the film), a constantly developing storyline. But those who were ready to put up with shortcomings, every month became less and less.

Thanks to the SOE ability to keep even unprofitable projects afloat, thanks to the distribution of boxes with the game to everyone in a row and thanks to the addition of intra -game advertising, MXO lasted as many as three years. But in the summer of 2009, fans heard that there were several weeks to live their chosen ones. In parting, the developers organized the last game event – the end of the world. But since all the participants received superpower from gammasters and hurried to test them in practice, the server fell from unusually large traffic and the final Armageddon was lucky enough to see a few.

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The cemetery of online games is no longer 2-3 graves in the wasteland, but a few acres of broken hopes. Closed due to lack of finances, due to unwillingness to listen to the opinion of the players, due to premature launch, exorbitant system requirements and lack of depths crushed by more successful competitors-online games leave us every year. But dozens of others come to replace them, and sometimes it is impossible to predict who will become the second World of Warcraft , And whoever ingloriously retires.