by Stacy Jones on Jan 24, 2014
That was unexpected. Sony Online Entertainment today announced that it will be shuttering four of its games with the closure of Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, Free Realms, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures, and Wizardry Online. A message has been posted to each of the games official forums, explaining when theyll be sunset along with new subscription benefit details about the changing plan.
For the record, Star Wars: Clone Wars Adventures and Free Realms will be the first to go with closure scheduled for March 31st, 2014. Vanguard: Saga of Heroes and Wizardry Online will follow with their closures both set for July 31st, 2014. Add to that, it was previously announced that Magic: The Gathering Tactics will also be shuttered on March 28th, 2014. Suffice to say, SOE certainly trimmed the hell out of the fat.
Along with that blast wave of cancellations, SOE also revealed its details for its new subscription plan set to roll out now on April 2nd, 2014. Simply put, the All Access subscription is now just $14.99 and will allow you to claim 500 Station Cash a month, offer a 10% discount on marketplace items, and provide access to exclusive promotions throughout the year.
We will be upgrading all existing individual game memberships to the new All Access plan, which will include the top-tier membership level in all eligible SOE games (EverQuest, EverQuest II, DC Universe Online PC, PlanetSide 2 PC, Vanguard: Saga of Heroes, and the upcoming EverQuest Next and EQN Landmark) for one, low monthly rate of $14.99 (with extra savings for 3, 6 and 12 month plans). Were also finalizing membership benefits to other games such as Dragon's Prophet and will share these new updates as available.
You can read the official SOE FAQ for more details. Additionally, SOE boss John Smedley will be taking to Reddit later today to answer questions.
I will be doing an AMAA at 3pm. I'll send the link then.
— John Smedley (@j_smedley) January 24, 2014