Electronic Arts is ending online support for many of its older and less-popular titles, including Army of Two, Need for Speed: Most Wanted, Skate and Madden NFL 10.
Okay, before we get all “mad as hell and not gonna take it anymore” with EA, let’s bear in mind that this isn’t the first time the publisher has pulled the plug on online support for its older and/or less-than-popular games. It’s the circle of digital life: games are released, they’re cool and we all love them at first, but then they get older and after awhile they’re just not cool at all anymore, and eventually everyone stops paying attention to them and they get old and die. The moral of the story? Don’t take it personally, I guess.
Anyway, here’s the newest list of EA titles on the chopping block, beginning with those scheduled for retirement on August 11:
- Army of Two for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
- Army of Two Demo for Xbox 360
- Battlefield 2142 Demo for PC
- Battlefield 2: Modern Combat for Xbox 360
- Battlefield 2: Modern Combat Demo for Xbox 360
- Medal of Honor Airborne for PlayStation Portable
- Medal of Honor Heroes 2 for PlayStation Portable and Wii
- NASCAR 09 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (North America)
- NCAA Basketball 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
- NCAA Football 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
- Need for Speed Most Wanted for PC and Xbox 360
- Need for Speed Undercover for PlayStation Portable;
- SKATE for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 for PlayStation Portable, PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and Wii
- Tiger Woods PGA Tour 11 Demo for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
On October 1, two more games will follow them into oblivion:
- Madden NFL 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
- NHL 10 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360
“The decisions to retire older EA games are never easy. The development teams and operational staff pour their hearts into these games almost as much as the customers playing them and it is hard to see one retired,” EA said in a statement that has an odd ring of familiarity. “But as games get replaced with newer titles, the number of players still enjoying the older games dwindles below a point – fewer than one percent of all peak online players across all EA titles – where it’s feasible to continue the behind-the-scenes work involved with keeping these games up and running.”
