January 25, 2024, marks a somber day for gaming enthusiasts as both Ubisoft and EA have announced the impending shutdown of servers for several of their games. For fans of titles like Assassin’s Creed, Ghost Recon, and F1, this date signals the end of online multiplayer experiences, leaving players to bid farewell to cherished game modes.
Ubisoft Shutdowns: A Sad Day for Fans
Ubisoft explained the reason behind the shutdowns on its support site, stating that “decommissioning the online services for older games is something we do not take lightly, however, it is also a necessity as the technology behind these services becomes outdated.” The publisher also assured that the offline modes and single-player campaigns for these games will remain playable.
- Xbox 360: Assassin’s Creed 2 – Xbox 360
- Assassin’s Creed Brotherhood – MAC
- Assassin’s Creed Liberation HD – PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
- Assassin’s Creed Revelations – PC
- Ghost Recon Future Soldier – PC
- Heroes of Might and Magic 6 – PC
- NCIS – PC
- R.U.S.E. – PC
- Splinter Cell: Conviction – Xbox 360
- Trials Evolution – PC
EA Games to Discontinue in 2024
Ubisoft is not the only publisher that is cleaning up its online services for older games. Electronic Arts (EA) has also confirmed that it will be shutting down the online servers for a number of games in the near future, including the beloved Mirror’s Edge. EA published a comprehensive list of titles that would be reduced in scope or terminated entirely on its official website.
- F1 2011 – March 21
- F1 2012 – March 21
- F1 2013 – March 21
- F1 2014 – March 21
- F1 Race Stars – March 21
- Micromachines World Series – March 21
- Rocket Arena – March 21
- Madden NFL 20 – April 15
EA said the decision to scale back online features or modes or retire games completely is “never easy” but it becomes necessary as newer games are released. “The development teams and operational staff pour their hearts into our games, their features, and modes almost as much as the players, and it is hard to see one retired,” EA said
The shutdown of online services for older games is a common practice in the gaming industry, as developers and publishers need to allocate their resources and technology to newer and more popular titles. However, this also means that some of the games that have been part of the gaming history and culture will be lost forever, at least in their online forms. For many fans, this is a sad day indeed.
