EA to shut down servers for recently released games

SynGamer

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On February 2nd, 2010, the following games' online servers will be shut down;

UEFA Champions League 07 (PC and 360)
Facebreaker (360 and PS3)
Fantasy Football 09 (360 and PS3)
FIFA 07 (PSP, PS2, PC)
Fight Night Round 3 (PS2)
Madden 08 (Wii)
Madden 08 (PC)
Madden 09 (Xbox)
Madden 09 (Wii and PSP)
March Madness 07 (360)
NBA 07 (PSP, 360)
NBA 08 (PS2, PSP, Wii)
NBA 09 (Wii – Europe only)
NBA Street 2007 (PS3 and 360)
NCAA Football 08 (PS2)
NCAA Football 09 (PS2)
NASCAR 08 (PS2)
NASCAR 09 (PS2)
NASCAR 09 (PS3 and 360 – Europe Only)
NFL Tour (PS3 and 360)
NHL 07 (PSP and 360)
NHL 08 (PC)
Tiger Woods 07 (PC)
Madden 09 (360 and PS3)
Madden 07 Xbox 360​

I'm wondering if Madden 09 is a typo...that's ridiculous to shut down the server to a game that's been out for less than two years.

Source
 
[quote name='smarkbran']Its Bullshit about facebreaker, I just got that game[/QUOTE]

Honestly, they should issue patches to allow P2P for online games. I'd rather take my chance with P2P than to have nothing at all.

EDIT: Said patch(es) should be released the day after the servers are taken down...
 
[quote name='SynGamer']I'm wondering if Madden 09 is a typo...that's ridiculous to shut down the server to a game that's been out for less than two years.[/QUOTE]

Probably not. Super Bowl (and in turn football season) will be over , which in turn means Madden 10 will probably price drop down to between $20-$40 , which in EA's eyes means anyone still holding out for Madden 10 at that point will probably upgrade. No need to keep servers up for a game "nobody" is playing.

Incidentally , it's things like this that makes me hope that changes to the Achievement/Trophy concept will happen in the future (or next gen consoles) that will make it so that if servers for a online game go down , that online chevos for the game don't become permanently disabled (or as you suggested such apply a P2P game patch).
 
Madden 09 is sad to say the least, especially considering on the PS3 there were still a few hundred people online at a given time, but understandable on EA's part. They don't want to spend the money to keep up a rapidly slowing server when they will probably soon drop the price of Madden 10 and see a huge spike in online play on that.
 
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']Madden 09 is sad to say the least, especially considering on the PS3 there were still a few hundred people online at a given time, but understandable on EA's part. They don't want to spend the money to keep up a rapidly slowing server when they will probably soon drop the price of Madden 10 and see a huge spike in online play on that.[/QUOTE]

But at the same time we're paying for a game that has the ability to play online...
 
[quote name='SynGamer']But at the same time we're paying for a game that has the ability to play online...[/QUOTE]

That is true 100%. EA is money hungry, right up there with Microsoft in the way they run things. Also, whether or not EA would save some money from shutting down Madden 09 servers, they have the money to keep it going. It is obvious this is just a way to silently push Madden 10 on people.

P.S. Madden 09 on the PSP is being shut down too. That is weak, I loved playing Madden on the PSP...of course, the PSP (and Wii) community cannot be compared to the PS3/Xbox 360 communities. That is just sick.
 
think I'm more shocked with them shutting down NHL 07 on the PSP. That game has a HUGE following when you take into account the game was released in 2006.
 
[quote name='Poor2More']Does MS not host these servers?[/QUOTE]

Nope, they are on EA server.

Also why shut down NBA 09 for Wii? EA didnt even release NBA 10
 
No big surprises here. To be honest, I would have assumed they shut down the servers as soon as the next year game is released.
 
so does this make some of these 360 games have some achievements that will never be unlockable, with online modes, etc?

That sucks.
 
It surprises me they would do this considering Christmas was just a few days ago...most people are going to grab the cheaper game, Madden 10...
 
[quote name='SynGamer']It surprises me they would do this considering Christmas was just a few days ago...most people are going to grab the cheaper game, Madden 10...[/QUOTE]

Most people are going to buy a game with up-to-date rosters, or a newer game in the case of something like Facebreaker. We are oddities here on CAG, most people have no interest in yesterday's games.
 
I bought facebreaker for like 5 bucks at a local shop and I was wanting to check out the online play after button mashing with some friends, but now the billion dollar corporation EA trys to pinch pennies by shutting down these servers. fuck you EA!
 
[quote name='SynGamer']Well, we're in a recession, and I just spent $200-250 on an Xbox 360...I'm going to want some cheap games.[/QUOTE]

Like I said on CAG we're the exception. Most people are not going to buy a 360 so they can play Madden 09. People want the latest and greatest, especially when it comes to annual sports games. The rosters are the entire point, playing with them being out-of-date seems pointless(to most people).
 
[quote name='SynGamer']It surprises me they would do this considering Christmas was just a few days ago...most people are going to grab the cheaper game, Madden 10...[/QUOTE]

I don't think EA cares in the least bit if people have no way to play their new, but older games online.
 
Doesn't seen ridiculous to me. Online communities for console games die fast. Really fast, unless were talking about Halo or Cod. I spent a good part of my weekend trying to play fear 2 online. I ended up getting to play half of 1 game after trying for several hours. Fear 2 is less than a year old.
 
[quote name='SynGamer']Well, we're in a recession, and I just spent $200-250 on an Xbox 360...I'm going to want some cheap games.[/QUOTE]

Ditto that.

Although, I can understand what contej is saying. Most people like to have the newest stuff, but that mentality has somewhat slowed since people started, you know, not having a home to live in.

I still think this is a low move from EA. They are just trying to force you to buy Madden 10. "If you want online, you have to buy the newest we have"
 
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']I don't think EA cares in the least bit if people have no way to play their new, but older games online.[/QUOTE]

Especially when the games were most likely bought second hand, or at such a steep discount that EA didn't see any profit.

This is the remnants of MS conceding in order to get EA games to have online on the original Xbox. EA was big enough to bully them into allowing them to run games through their own servers. The funny thing is these games still run P2P in most cases, you just have to log into the EA servers for an authentication of sorts. The servers serve no purpose other than to make sure EA has the ability to do this.

[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']
that mentality has somewhat slowed since people started, you know, not having a home to live in.[/QUOTE]

These people should probably worry a bit less about if their copy of NHL 07 has online play, and a bit more about well, everything else.
 
[quote name='62t']Nope, they are on EA server.

Also why shut down NBA 09 for Wii? EA didnt even release NBA 10[/QUOTE]
Nobody bought it, so there's not enough people playing it to justify the upkeep for those servers.
 
[quote name='jer7583']so does this make some of these 360 games have some achievements that will never be unlockable, with online modes, etc?

That sucks.[/QUOTE]

Yes, it is pretty common for EA to shut down game servers and make their online achievements unobtainable. Not that there is anything good about these mass shutdowns for games, but at least word gets out and you have some time to finish off the online achievements before everything shuts down. The ones that really get me are the achievements that have become unobtainable within a year of release due to how they are setup. For example the Game of the Week achievement in NBA Live 09. These ones sneak up on you so your best bet with all EA and 2K sports games is to get the online achievements out of the way ASAP or risk getting impacted by this type of thing.
 
Can't really expect them to keep old sports game servers up and running, especially the ones that are made every year. Now if this list had included Burnout or something, then it would probably be a big deal.
 
LOL Sports games and online sports games being shut down is not a major catastrophe or at least it isn't to me anyway. Now if they were to shut down any servers they have running for Mercenaries 2(a fine, fine game LMFAO), then I would be pissed.

Not really though, since I never finished the game due to all of the friggin' glitches in it. Shutting down Pandemic was the best decision EA ever made. How they went from the first Mercs game to the pos known as Mercs 2 is beyond me.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']How they went from the first Mercs game to the pos known as Mercs 2 is beyond me.[/QUOTE]

Economic Recession was how.

Lucky I never took much interest in Sport Games (only like playing Soccer/racing video games)
 
I have a feeling more non-EA servers will go out for PS3 and Wii games. That's the price of free multiplayer. When sales of the game goes down to almost nothing, there is no reason to keep it up.
 
[quote name='norkusa']And this is why I don't buy EA games anymore.[/QUOTE]

Because they shut down servers for games that don't sell well or are like four years old? While I do think it sucks for people with these games, you have to realize it costs them money to keep these servers running. It's just not profitable to keep servers running for the 10 people that still play Madden 07 or the 15 people that play Facebreaker.

Of all the reasons you don't buy EA games, this is your big sticking point.

:roll:
 
[quote name='laaj']I have a feeling more non-EA servers will go out for PS3 and Wii games. That's the price of free multiplayer. When sales of the game goes down to almost nothing, there is no reason to keep it up.[/QUOTE]

It wont just be PS3 and wii. Sega is shutting down Chromehounds
 
[quote name='contej85']Like I said on CAG we're the exception. Most people are not going to buy a 360 so they can play Madden 09. People want the latest and greatest, especially when it comes to annual sports games. The rosters are the entire point, playing with them being out-of-date seems pointless(to most people).[/QUOTE]

This is not true, I see people buying old cheap games constantly when I visit used game stores, especially sports titles.
 
[quote name='exileinoblivion']This is not true, I see people buying old cheap games constantly when I visit used game stores, especially sports titles.[/QUOTE]

Complete opposite at my GS's. The shelves are always cluttered with copies of Madden 07, 08, and 09. Same goes for the NBA, FIFA, Tiger Woods, and NHL games. They cant give away old sports titles around here.
 
This is the reason why I wish there were a rule banning trophies/achievements for online portions of games. The competitive aspect of online multiplayer alone is enough to make me want to play it; keep the trophies for the offline component so that regardless of the servers, people will always be able to get all the achievements.
 
[quote name='Thekrakrabbit']

I still think this is a low move from EA. They are just trying to force you to buy Madden 10. "If you want online, you have to buy the newest we have"[/QUOTE]

At least they are announcing it... have they done that before?
 
I am one of those people who didn't buy Madden this year because i paid $100 for the collector's edition last season. I guess people like me are the target lol. I'm fine with it though. When they stop playing the remove a feature/re add a feature game and actually put some work into making sports games enjoyable, i will think about buying another sports game from them.
 
I think there should be a 2 year window. I can understand taking down the servers for something that came out in 2006 but not something that came out 14 months ago.
 
I thought once a new Madden comes out, they shut down the old one. I don't think this list is that crazy.
 
Maybe this is just another way for EA to try and make the GS/EB/game resellers of the world less profitable? Now those billions of copies of old sports games they have sitting around will become shovelware even faster.
Not that they can profit much from them beyond the first 3 months of shelf life I figure.
 
[quote name='Cthulhu8u']Maybe this is just another way for EA to try and make the GS/EB/game resellers of the world less profitable? Now those billions of copies of old sports games they have sitting around will become shovelware even faster.
Not that they can profit much from them beyond the first 3 months of shelf life I figure.[/QUOTE]

But how are potential customers going to know that EA shut the servers down? Not everyone follows gaming like we do here...
 
Wow. That was fast. Sucks if your a Madden player I guess. I only buy games published by EA, rather than developed. So no concern for me.
 
[quote name='jling84']This is the reason why I wish there were a rule banning trophies/achievements for games.[/QUOTE]
Fixed. I can still remember when the only achievement/trophy you got for playing a game was the satisfaction of having played and beaten a game.

People are too fuckin' obsessed with trophies and achievements anymore and some knuckleheads actually won't buy a game if it doesn't have them. :roll: Seriously? Play the games and enjoy them.
 
[quote name='IAmTheCheapestGamer']Fixed. I can still remember when the only achievement/trophy you got for playing a game was the satisfaction of having played and beaten a game.

People are too fuckin' obsessed with trophies and achievements anymore and some knuckleheads actually won't buy a game if it doesn't have them. :roll: Seriously? Play the games and enjoy them.[/QUOTE]

Finally The Cheap Ass with Mexican Brazilian internet has something I can agree with.
 
All of those games are sports titles that either have been discontinued, their replacements are out, or their replacements will soon be out. It is perfectly normal for them to want to get players of older versions to upgrade to the latest and one way is to knock the older versions offline. Wanna play Madden online, you have to buy the latest when it comes out every year. There is no law against that. What I do wish someone would do, though, instead of tying online play to a central server, allow players to host their own games through a peer to peer or distributed computing model so if a game is discontinued or the company goes out of business it can still be played by those who want to. For some games online play is what it's all about so they make the offline mode deliberately weak. After the server goes down, the game becomes worthless.
 
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