AC2 is shutting down as of 12/30/05. Of the major MMORPGs, this is the first one to succumb to dwindling support. Here's a link to the announcement:
Turbine Shuts AC2 Servers
I tried AC2 for a bit when it first came out and wasn't impressed. Even at launch it was a ghost-town, so I'm not surprised to see it fail. I wonder, though, how long a lot of the others can survive. A quick glance at www.mmorpg.com shows an oversaturated MMORPG market with only a few maintaining a large subscriber base.
Three more major titles are scheduled for release in the next nine months:
Dungeons & Dragons Online (Top Dog in E3) is supposed to hit the stores in November.
Vanguard: Saga of Heros (made by original EQ designers) will be out sometime second quarter '06).
Lord of the Rings Online should hit the stores in '06 as well.
EQ2 never lived up to Sony's expectations, and fan support is starting to fade from World of Warcraft. Despite server consolidations, EQ still seems to be the game holding the strongest subscription base. I suspect that the three new major titles will force more games to pull the plug. Anarchy Online and Asheron's Call are the two patients that come to mind that are in most need of life support.
Meanwhile, gamers continue to search for the next EQ. So far, none of the games that are on the market even come close.
-- Kannafoot
Kannafoot's Burrow - Website
Kannafoot's Photo Galleries
The Grape's Vine - Blog
"When life itself seems mad, who knows where madness lies?
Perhaps too much sanity is madness."
- The Duke in Man of La Mancha
Turbine Shuts AC2 Servers
I tried AC2 for a bit when it first came out and wasn't impressed. Even at launch it was a ghost-town, so I'm not surprised to see it fail. I wonder, though, how long a lot of the others can survive. A quick glance at www.mmorpg.com shows an oversaturated MMORPG market with only a few maintaining a large subscriber base.
Three more major titles are scheduled for release in the next nine months:
Dungeons & Dragons Online (Top Dog in E3) is supposed to hit the stores in November.
Vanguard: Saga of Heros (made by original EQ designers) will be out sometime second quarter '06).
Lord of the Rings Online should hit the stores in '06 as well.
EQ2 never lived up to Sony's expectations, and fan support is starting to fade from World of Warcraft. Despite server consolidations, EQ still seems to be the game holding the strongest subscription base. I suspect that the three new major titles will force more games to pull the plug. Anarchy Online and Asheron's Call are the two patients that come to mind that are in most need of life support.
Meanwhile, gamers continue to search for the next EQ. So far, none of the games that are on the market even come close.
-- Kannafoot
Kannafoot's Burrow - Website
Kannafoot's Photo Galleries
The Grape's Vine - Blog
"When life itself seems mad, who knows where madness lies?
Perhaps too much sanity is madness."
- The Duke in Man of La Mancha
