The ravages of time gnaw relentlessly at everything – even video games. Now EA pulls the virtual plug on numerous older multiplayer titles
The river flows ceaselessly and its waters are never the same
These wise words were found by the Japanese hermit Chomei to describe the inexorable passing of time. And although the good man lived in the Middle Ages, his words still hold true – even for video games.
Because the ravages of time also gnaw at them: Titles get old, the community shrinks, and at some point it becomes uneconomical for manufacturers to continue providing servers for older multiplayer titles. Then some publishers decide to pull the plug on such titles.
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Which games are affected?
This time a number of older EA titles have been affected, among them Dead Space 2, Crysis 3, three Battlefields and several FIFA spin-offs Their multiplayer features will be permanently discontinued before the end of this year A detailed list of the affected games and the timing of the shutdown can be found below.
Especially bitter: Among the shutdown candidates is also Battlefield Bad Company 2 – in the eyes of many fans, thanks to the ingenious destructible levels, the best part of the series to date.
The approach is not atypical for EA. The company regularly sends old titles to the virtual retirement home. We last reported on this at the end of 2022, when Mirror’s Edge and Command & Conquer Red Alert 3 lost their servers. But the practice is commonplace at other publishers as well: Activision is shutting down Warzone: Caldera in September.
When will the servers be shut down?
September 7, 2023
- Crysis 3 for Playstation 3, Xbox 360, Xbox One (backwards compatibility), Steam and EA App
October 10, 2023
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 14 for Xbox 360 and on PlayStation 3
October 30, 2023
- Restaurant DASH: Gordon Ramsay for Apple, Google and Amazon
November 6, 2023
- FIFA 18 for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4.
- FIFA 19 for PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4
- FIFA 20 for Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One and PlayStation 4
- FIFA 21 for Nintendo Switch, PC, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S, PlayStation 4 and PlayStation 5
December 8, 2023
- Battlefield 1943 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
- Battlefield Bad Company for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
- Battlefield Bad Company 2 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
- Dead Space 2 for PC, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
- Dante’s Inferno for PlayStation 3, PlayStation Portable and Xbox 360
What do you think of the server shutdown at EA? Do you find it economically understandable or can you not understand this measure at all? Feel free to write us in the comments
