The ‘hype train’ is a fickle thing.  We forget a game exists, and then some trailer is released and blows our minds and suddenly we’re frothing at the mouth waiting for it.  Then someone kicks the server switch, and the game is gone forever—whether it was a long standing contender, or a newcomer on the block, or had even yet to garner its first dollar of income.  Nostalgia be damned, it’s time to look at some of the cancellations that affected our beloved MMO genre this year.

No Longer Force Attuned – Star Wars Galaxies

Perhaps the only thing we'll miss making the jump to The Old Republic

Whether it be a declining player base, a lackluster use of the license, or some other reason we’ll never know, the end of one Star Wars game gives birth to another in The Old Republic.  But we’ll miss some of the silly things that the game gave us – we'll never dance away the mental damage again, and it might be the last time we’ll see truly sandboxy open world player housing in the contect of a major license.  But the days have been numbered ever since the failed combat rework, and a clinging group of devout fans can only keep a game alive for so long.  It was time for SWG, whether we like it or not.

Heaven or Hell?  Mostly Hell – Faxion Online

I still have no idea who would think this is an acceptable character design.

Have you ever heard the phrase “quit while you’re ahead?”  Well, Faxion jumped ship well before that.  With nothing more than a skeletal framework of a game, they were in full open beta and had cash shop plans in the works.  Spawns weren’t working, quests were repetitive and simplistic at best, and even the interface would randomly ignore your casts and not display cooldowns.  There’s a time and a way to monetize a game, and in being far too aggressive too early, the good folks behind Faxion might have stuck the nail in the coffin themselves.

The End of a Universe- LEGO Universe

Not even being a badass pirate or ninja could save LEGO Universe.

What should have been a recipe for success just didn’t garner enough interest, unfortunately.  A license that attracts people of all ages for fun open-ended adventures just couldn’t generate enough subscribers or F2P income to keep it running and the building block universe comes to an end at the end of this January.  While unpopular, the charm of the game cannot be overlooked.  Hell, it is cheaper to subscribe to this than it is to purchase real LEGOs!  The developers have learned a lot from this, and I doubt we’ll see this IP drop off the radar for too long.

Cancellations are a sad fact of MMOs, with all of their manpower and bandwidth requirements.  All good things must come to an end and someday one of your favorites may shut down just the same. 

 

Last Updated: Mar 13, 2016

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