Last Days in Failed MMOGs

[Khaldun]

I was really taken by the stories out of Tabula Rasa--that seemed like the most interesting last day event ever in a MMOG. (Some good reports in the thread that appeared here.) I'm working on a piece that focuses on what happens as a MMOG shuts down, from when players start to get a sense that the thing is doomed to the official announcement to the actual closing. While I've personally been in a huge number of MMOGs on launch day, I have to say I've never stuck around for the end. By that time, I'm usually off investigating another world, because my main interest in research (and play) terms is how the practices of players form and solidify in a new environment.

There's some last day experiences that have gotten pretty good write-ups from players--Asheron's Call 2, for example. Even sort-of underdeveloped games like Auto Assault had some kind of last day event. But it seems to me that TR is the only game to try and make the last day of the game into a story-driven "last day" of its world as well. Makes me wonder what they're doing over at Matrix Online (not wonder so much that I want to subscribe for the end.)

Any good last-day stories from more obscure closed MMOGs?

[Yegolev]

Horizons did something like this when it did the server consolidations/world rebuild, the story being that there were multiple parallel worlds and yours is being destroyed because you didn't win against whoever the enemy was.  Someone even spraypainted YOU WILL ALL DIE in red on the ground somewhere.

Sorry if I can't be assed to see if that stuff still exists somewhere.  Doubtful, considering the age and subject.

[Khaldun]

It's actually surprising how many forum threads, blog posts and so on are still around for long-dead games, as long as they're not *too* old.

[UnSub]

You're probably starting this at the right time.

[Khaldun]

Yeah, I'm thinking there are some more last days coming pretty soon. 

[Raph]

UO had a totally narrative driven last day for its end of beta. Wasn't last day of the whole game, of course, since it is still chugging along. But it was a lot like the TR last day in that sense.

[SnakeCharmer]

Yeah, I'm thinking there are some more last days coming pretty soon. 

Such as?

[UnSub]

I count about 6 MMOs that closed in 2009. Given the huge number of MMO titles launched up to the end of 2008 and how there are some new ones that should grab customers, I see a lot of borderline MMOs closing in 2009/10. Most will die with a wimper.

Did Shadowbane actually die or did everyone showing up for the wake make the devs think they could dance the corpse around a little longer?

Plus I keep waiting for Stargate Worlds to officially collapse. It isn't launched, but beta has been going for a while.

I don't think WAR will die in 2009 unless Aion / ChampO / Free Realms etc really are that popular. But unless there is a huge population push, I don't see it living past 2010.

[Triforcer]

I think Aion is going to hurt it badly- and by "badly" I mean taking even 50 or 100k would kill it off. 

[Numtini]

I don't see War dying alone. However, they're pretty ruthless and I can see EA just eliminating their MMO presence including War, DAOC, and UO.

[DLRiley]

Oh the delicious screams.

[Malakili]

I count about 6 MMOs that closed in 2009. Given the huge number of MMO titles launched up to the end of 2008 and how there are some new ones that should grab customers, I see a lot of borderline MMOs closing in 2009/10. Most will die with a wimper.

Did Shadowbane actually die or did everyone showing up for the wake make the devs think they could dance the corpse around a little longer?

Plus I keep waiting for Stargate Worlds to officially collapse. It isn't launched, but beta has been going for a while.

I don't think WAR will die in 2009 unless Aion / ChampO / Free Realms etc really are that popular. But unless there is a huge population push, I don't see it living past 2010.

Free realms and CO aren't going to take much from WAR, I would guess.  Aion might though.


As for my own last day stories, I've always left MMOs before it got to that point.

[Fordel]

Didn't PlanetSide have a big world event when they rebooted the world?

[taolurker]

I have an interesting story about server reboots, but not really last days of MMOS...

Back in the first couple of years of EQ, I had a character who was doing Brewing and a playtime that almost always was around patches or server downtimes, so I was passing out drinks and doing "End of the World Parties" spontaneously. The Guild I was in even started doing them for quite a while, because of what I started, and I can say it was extremely fun running around making announcements "The world is ending, come have a drink to lament and console one another"... Especially fun was people not believing the Cataclysm was coming and then hearing "The server will come down for a patch in xx" and the massive crying/whining right after.

What would be really cool was if players could accidentally cause the world to end, but if that were possible then some idiot would grief everyone by destroying the world constantly. I also thought I had a way to make an MMO shut down once, and am still wondering how that game still survives.

I can't say I've attended a "End of Game" celebration though, and sort of agree with Fordel "I've always left MMOs before it got to that point".

[Lantyssa]

Causing the "world to end" by a player on my MUD was pretty much an instant BalZur (nuke to level 1) and banning.  I can't see it ending well in an environment with thousands of people.

[Tale]

The end of SWG beta was amazing for me. I made some good friends and we started a tight-knit guild based around a band that formed in Tyrena cantina. We spent months together. There was also a community of medics/doctors/combat medics which formed on the message board, and led to in-game meetings and adventures (e.g. a full day exploring Yavin IV on foot with the only other testers who could survive it - because corpses were still in the game and we could buff/heal/rez each other).

In the final hour of beta, our band played on the Tyrena bridge and everybody danced around us. Many of us were going our separate ways, going back to longer-term guilds that were starting chapters in retail (as opposed to all being on Bria in beta). Everybody was firing off emotes and fireworks, the devs counted down, broadcast "may the force be with you" and pulled the plug.

[Khaldun]

The end of the beta in SWG was really great, yeah. I remember being in this huge combination of social event, firefight and fireworks show.