RIFT Shutting Down in China

Subscription MMORPGs are not the primary business model used in NA these days, but free-to-play has been the norm in Asian territories for quite some time. So it was a bit surprising when RIFT’s Chinese publisher, Shanda Games, decided to stick with a subscription model. That seems to have not been the best idea as the publisher has now confirmed that RIFT’s Chinese servers will be shutting down on November 15th, 2013. (Note: The previous 2015 date was a typo due to my own clumsy fingers. We apologize for any confusion. - Martuk)

Earlier this year Trion ceased operation for RIFT in South Korea. The studio has undergone a major shakedown since the return of Scott Hartsman as its new CEO. Hartsman’s return was followed by a number of layoffs and closures to centralize Trion’s development and streamline its business.

Source: MMO Culture